Little Gypsy
by BlackerThanMySoul
Summary: Orihime, a gypsy, thinks her life couldn't get any simpler. And it doesn't. When the Hougyoku chooses Orihime as its host, she soon joins the crew of the Hueco Mundo and catchs the eye of one of the most animalistic pirate on board, Grimmjow.
1. Chapter 1

**An idea I got from watching Hunchback of Notre Dame**

66666666666666666666666666666666666

I closed my eyes as the hard rain managed to reach past the shelter and onto my arm. The droplets was freezing cold. The wind picked up right then, allowing my long purple skirt to wrap itself around my two skinny, pale legs. My teeth jittered as I folded my arms and rubbed them. Uncaring of getting my pretty outfit dirty, I fell to the wet, muddy ground and scrunched myself up in a ball. I curled my legs and desperately wanted to cry, but held it in. It had been a long time since I let my tears spill. Tears were a sign of weakness. That's what I had learned.

The angry voices of the townspeople filled my ears in a painful way. I heard them shouting names and vulgar at me, at all of us, their faces crunched in an ugly way to show their anger. I could have sworn I heard the resounding splat of fruit being thrown at my group. I didn't care. I was too used to it. At least the mud wasn't the only thing forming splotches on my outfit.

"Turn back now or _we will call the police_" the mayor of the town warned for the 30th time. I was all-too familiar with his tone. I could imagine the plump man beet red and losing his patients fast.

It was times like these that I wish my leader would just let it go.

"I believe it was quite inhuman for you to leave a group of people out in the cold like this" the leader kept pestering. She was more patient then the mayor or anyone of the townspeople.

"Send the dogs on them!" one person cried.

"They should burn!" another followed. Louder complaints followed. I, being the newest, cringed at every insult. I just was not used to people hating me.

In the end, they sent in the police and a large border separated my group from the town.

We were alone again. Out in the cold. They took us away from our only shelter, an unstable roof, and now I knew the full cold temperature of the rain. Again, I wanted to cry but dug my nails into my hands to stop myself.

The leader turned to us and shrugged "let's keep going till we find shelter" she shouted. Somehow, the rain was not affecting her at all.

The group nodded and someone grabbed onto my arm. I looked up. It was Ayame. She smiled down on me.

"Time to go" she urged.

I slowly got to my feet, noticing the spots of red, yellow and brown on my white short-sleeved shirt and purple skirt. It was times like these I was glad that I didn't take out my red, silk scarf and golden accessories.

The group began moving northward, hopefully away from the storm and I followed, ever so slowly, wiping my face with my dirty hands of rain.

00000000000000000000000000000000

As a child, I was warned that Gypsies were thieves and scoundrels, people to avoid at all cost. But they were also street performers and their movements always amazed me when I saw them outside of my window. I knew perfectly well that people disliked them with a passion but they, too, could not help avoiding the beautiful dances of the lovely female Gypsies and the reassuring, kind, persuasive words of the male Gypsies. Their lives seemed full of love, compassion and happiness. Happiness resulting in the theft of peoples wallets, jewels and sometimes, hearts. Of men. Female Gypsies played temporary concubines. They were like fairies, beautiful and cruel.

But it was better living with them then with abusive parents. My older brother, Sora, died a short while after I left the age of 14 and entered year 15 of my existence. I had no one to protect me from my guardians and they obviously became more violent after his death. Running away was my serious thought and nothing stopped me. I had no friend. I used to. When I lived in Karakura. The city side of Kyoto was so much more different.

So I ran off and luckily managed to run into the band of Gypsies named _The Shun-Shun Rika_. I remembered seeing them and wished to dance like they did and be strong even when those look down upon me. They were a decent mix of all the clans. After joining them, I was informed of more tribes. The Shun-Shun Rika accepted to adopt me and I went through the ceremonial transition from an Outsider to a Gypsy. They become my family in a short time.

Now and then, we would run into other gypsy families and tribes and exchange goods. Gypsies were very fair with their own kind.

Though it was against my own morals, I was taught to steal and dance and talk persuasively. They said my smile and aura had something to do with it. I figured they were just being nice. But above all, I never accepted the teachings of seducing a man with my body. I was over-developed in my upper area and the females of the Shun-Shun Rika insisted that if I used my body properly, trapping a man would be a synch. But it was one of, and possibly the only, reason I disliked the female Gypsies. I frowned upon completely the idea of stealing a man's heart and lust and flipping it onto him. It was absurd and I felt it would be a waist of my body and pride.

The Shun-Shun Rika's accepted this and I quickly became a popular dancer.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Ayame placed a wet clothe in the bowl of hot water, squeezed out access water and placed it over my face. I squeezed my eyes shut as she washed away any evidence of dirt. I smelt wet mud and wrinkled my nose. It was disgusting. But again, I had to get used to it faster. Getting dirty in many ways was natural for these people. The Gypsies.

The wet clothe was removed from my face and a blinked back some dirt and water. Ayame descended onto my arms and shoulder.

"You really shouldn't have sat down" the raven haired girl frowned.

"I was too cold to stand up" I answered, silently.

"Well, its fine. At least you didn't get the full blow of the fruit attacks" she giggled.

I responded with smiled. Once they put up their tents for the storm, I had noticed some of the Shun-Shun Rika covered in tomatoes and potato splotches. But I dared not to giggle for fear of Tsubaki's, a harsh Shun-Shun Rika, wrath.

The rain began to create holes in the weak tent Ayame held for the two.

"Darn it!" she cried. She rushed to get a bucket to hold the leak. I watched the hole above me grow darker and sprinkle of water began to fall on the ground. I quickly washed off the rest of the dirt and raced after Ayame to gather more buckets.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

This was my life. And I always thought that nothing would change.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_**End**_


	2. Chapter 2

55555555555555555555555555555555555

I growled harshly at the swaying of my bed. It was giving me too much of a headache. And with the ugly stench coming from outside, it was no serious help. I swung myself of the dirty mattress and fell, purposely, to the floor, on my feet. My baggy pants slipped a little and I pulled them up, straightening my cotton white shirt. Whoever was in charge of the steer was going to pay hell. Along with whoever was making today's lunch. I swung my door open and light poured into the dark, damp room. Blinking away spots, I marched across the hall and almost walked past the kitchen room. Peering in, I saw a pink head bent over a put of something spouting out ivy green shit.

_Fuck_, I thought, _who put _him_ in charge of the kitchen?_

The stench was pissing me off to the point that I didn't even have the nerve to rage about the smell. I grumbled ever so loudly and began to stalk up the stairs to the outside of the ship. Once I got there, the sea water sound exploded in my ear and calmed me down. A rare calm smile played on my lips. Even as a boy, I simply loved to sail. The sound of seagulls and the smell of the salt in the clear blue sea always managed to calm my somewhat unstable temper. Even if the Sun's light was annoying. Being part of this crew, I only got half of the brilliance of sailing.

Turning my head, I could see a blonde man, no less then 20, looking out to the sea as he steered the large wooden wheel that controlled the huge ship. The wind that brought the smell of water blew his hair from his face as he looked on without much expression. His pale skin seemed to sizzle in the heat. Being at the steer was not the most exciting job, but I certainly hoped he was not dazing off again. To check, I walked up ever so silently behind him.

"Yo!" I screamed. The male, as expected, jumped back, frightened so much that he tripped on his own feet and landed on his ass. I let out a laugh. He looked up from his string of hair and glared at me. I stared right back at him. "Knew ya were sleepin!"

"Dammit Grimmjow!" he shouted, getting up and dusting himself off. He continued his steering. "I was not sleeping. I was concentrating"

"While ya were sleepin'?" I chuckled.

"Fuck off"

If anyone else, I would have ripped their heads off. But this guy was one of my own. I was used to him being cheeky with me. He was allowed.

The guy coming up the stairs, not so much.

"Grimmjow, what are you doing up here?"

I tried not to sigh in anger when I heard the bastard's voice. Instead, I met my blonde man's eyes and rolled my eyes, indicating my annoyance at the new comer. My blondy smiled in humour.

"Yo" I spun around to face my crewmate. He glared back. Or I think he was glaring. You can't really tell with this guy.

"Return to your quarters before Aizen-sama finds you here"

"Fuck Aizen" I smirked. I hated our Captain with passion. He was a jackass and prick. He always acted like he was stronger then all of us, never mind the fact that he was. And he ruled with an iron fist, which I did admire, but he brought it down so gently. Like he was a gentleman or something. I would sneer at that comment.

How is the deadliest Pirate Captain in history a gentleman?

777777777777777777777777777777

It was a good 14 years ago when I was recruited onto the Hueco Mundo. It was the largest ship I had ever laid eyes on. Its pearly white front gleamed in the sun and its iron bow and stern never ceased to make my breath hitch. It was the perfect model for any attacks or storms. Its inside was velvet coated and all the rooms were clean, depending on the person sleeping there. The food was usually delicious and the jobs were more exciting then they sound. But the best part was the looting. As all knew, Pirates were notoriously famous for their raiding and pillaging abilities. Sometimes they took prisoners as extra workers and sometimes they took survivors and brunt them alive or threw them over board and watched them get eaten by sharks. Just for the heck of it.

Because the crew of the Hueco Mundo were bloodthirsty and sadistic. And that was just how I liked it.

But along with the prisoners, we even went as far as brining sex slaves on board. Our Captain was too 'gentleman'-like to appreciated the customs a woman could give a man. But the rest of us took advantage of the recruited women. They were pretty good lays and I got a crack out of them bleeding from their womanhood for some reason. A woman's body truly was a sight for sore eyes. Using it properly, they were like devilish angels. We took turns with girls. It was a bitch when they decided they had enough and committed suicide.

But Lust wasn't what really drove us. The want to become the most feared pirates was what drove us.

And we accomplished it.

But why where we so inhuman? It's because we aren't. I'm not anymore. Not after I joined the crew.

But that was a pretty fucked up side of being a Pirate under Aizen Sosuke.

88888888888888888888888888666666

"Shit, Szayel" I grumbled, looking down at the disgusting plate. Normally, no one dared to let our scientist do the cooking. He was terrible. And his concoctions were more fitting for his lab.

"It's a special blend of tea leaves, banana, normal leaves, cheese and pasta!" the pink haired man explained. "It's healthy so eat up boys"

We all looked at each as if to say 'he's not serious, is he?'

As if the stench wasn't bad enough.

I had managed to slip away from the raid of anger centered on Szayel from my other shipmates and scuttled away to the storage rooms. One door lead to our food supply. The supply was only in case of emergency. But fuck, if Szayel's cooking wasn't an emergency!

I ripped open a sack of potatoes and munched hungrily on its exteriors. I didn't mind that it was a little dirty.

Food was food and in this fucked up world, you took what you could get.

99999999999999999999999999999999

This was my life. And I always thought that nothing would change.

4444444444444444444444444444444444

_**End**_


	3. Chapter 3

333333333333333333333333333333333

Orihime scanned the area with her eyes. People bustled here and there, carrying their bags of goods and food. Women's scarves and clothing got caught in some edges and children got in the way of the adults trying to get from one place to another. This was defiantly the city life. Inoue shuddered. Everyone simply cared about what they were doing and had no regards over anyone else.

Her eyes finally lay on a wide space, where a small fountain and a sort-of runway sat.

"Here" she said, turning to her group. They noticed the space and smiled.

The Shun-Shun Rikas were dressed in their usual attire. Colourful scarves, loose shirts, and they carried heavy looking equipment. The man played the music while the women danced. It was the rule.

The group moved to the fountain and the men took their places. Hinagiku and Baigon placed their instruments in front of themselves. Ayame, Lily and Shuno set up the glittering tent behind the boys and a little behind the run-way. Orihime disappeared behind the curtains at the front. Ayame began to pass article of clothing inside to her friend who began to dress up. She wrapped the colorful, sparkling gold color scarf around her shoulders and let her grey shirt loose. She took of her purple skirt and put on an equally long sky blue skirt. Grey and blue clashed and were the traditional colors for the group. The gold sybolized prosperty for them.

She heard the boys playing outside. The beats of the drums and the strings of the guitar were all too familiar to her and she subconciously began to tap her foot. But she had to hold herself from going all out. Not yet.

"Come one come all!" Tsubaki called. Inoue could picture her hot headed friend presenting their introduction. Now she could imagine Ayame and Lily starting their ritual intro dance with the new beat of the instruments. "See the magnificent Weaver Princess dance like you've never seen anyone dance before!"

Inoue knew well enough that her name, Orihime, was devrived from the legend of the Weaver Princess Orihime and so that was her introductory name and professional nickname. Besides, the word Princess sparked anyones attanetion these days. She smiled as she peeked through and saw the amazed and excited look of the unsuspecting viewers. She could already imagine Shuno going around, exciting people, while sneacking her hadn in different bags and sometimes even pockets.

"Watch as her moves mesmorize even the stronge willing of you!" Tsubaki continued. He flailed his arms around in an almost exaggerating movement. He then jestured to the tent's opening. Inoue stopped her peeking and straightened her outfit. She was ready.

"Now here she is folks! The one, the only, the real! Weaver Princess Orihime!"

That was her qui.

33333333333333333333333333333333333333

Grimmjow leaned further into the railing and looked down. The waves crashed onto the clear white boarder and reached as far as his arms. He let the cool water spray him. He was pleasently happy abouthow stubborn the sea was. No matter how high you were, the sea would try to reach even higher. The Sun didn't even bother him right then. It was a truly rare sight to see the blue haired man so content.

"My Grimmjow. Is this where you run off to all the time?"

Grimmjow frowned and refused to turn around. That voice was the one thing that made him cring and want to tear his ears out.

"Fuck off Nnoitra"

The long haired male only smiled more. "Is that your catch phrase or something?"

"Naw. I always use a varity of vulgar with guys like you"

Nnoitra laughed out load. "What a compliment! I've heard you call women worse names"

"Are ya sure?"

As much as he was a bastard, Nnoitra was a fun guy to play with, Grimmjow had to admit. They were both assholes and they knew it all too well. Which is why they got into more fights then anyone else on the ship.

"I heard ya" the long haired man chuckled, joining his buddy on the railing. "What'cha lookin at?"

"Nothin'"

"Don't look like nothin'"

"What's it look like?"

"Looks like your contimplating the universe"

Never mind that he was. Grimmjow had always thought things like philosophy and science were for geeks and boozoes like Ulquiorra, one of the first mates, and Aizen. A _real_ man relies on brute, raw, animal power. Not information some other twit discovered. That's how it was in the beginning. He wondered what had happened.

The males continued their sassy back talks.

"Grimmjow"

Well, well, speak of the devil. And he appears. Well, a third of him.

Nnoitra sensed something was up before Grimmjow could turn around. Like the ass he was, he fled at a moments notice.

Grimmjow scowled.

Ulquiorra stood tall and proud, staring at his shipmate with an expresionless anger.

Fucker.

"What now?" Grimmjow asked, making eye contact with the raven haired male. That was always important between two men who absolutly hated each other.

"Aizen-sama as requested me to pass on a message"

"Let's here it" he folded his arms.

Ulquiorra mentally grinned. "He says you will be in charge of gathering the goods for the next town we visit"

Now this snapped Grimmjow out of his pride-moment. He stared wide eyed at Ulquiorra, knowing full well his rage was bulding up.

"That's a fuckin' lower class sailor job"

It was true. Gathering goods under cover and making sure the village was suitable to raid was for those working under the boat and maned the oars. Grimmjow hadn't been in that position for a good 5 years.

"It is what you deserve for eating half of our supply of food" Ulquiorra continued, tilting his head an inch to the right.

"Bullshit. I didn't eat that much!"

"So you admit you ate the potatoes?"

Damn. Fell into the trap.

Grimmjow huffed and leaned on the railing.

"Very well then. I shall inform Aizen-sama that you are prepared to pay for your deed" without another glance, the stoic man turned and stalked back downstairs.

Grimmjow gripped his arms tightly. Any angry outburst is just what Ulquiorra wants. More reasons to get punished. So for the first time, in a long time, Grimmjow swallowed his pride.

99999999999999999999999999999999999

"This is a time of celebration!" Baigon cheered, shaking a bottle of wine and letting its top explode. The rest cheered along with him. Orihime giggled at the excitement. It truelly was a time for excitment.

Not only did Lily manage to pick-pocket a whole bunch of unsuspecting watchers, but they also gained quite a few gold coins for their very preformance.

"And its all thanks to Hime-chan!" Ayme cheered. Everyone nodded. Inoue giggled again and blushed. Tsubaki hesitant.

"Ya know, I think my announcing soften them up!" he chimed in. The orange haired newbie hugged her grumpy adoptive brother anyways. He was just too cute when stubborn.

They did know very well how pissed the townspeople will get once they find their valuables missing so the Shun-Shun Rika got out of town as soon as the show was over.

She didn't drink any alcohol and stuck with her Hawaiin juices as the others drank themselves crazy. They laughed and kept the party going for the whole night.

3333333333333333333333333333333333333

_**End**_


	4. Chapter 4

222222222222222222222222

Grimmjow scowled. He refused to let this get to him. Even though it was. One of his friends who believed in Grimmjow's hatred towards Aizen, Ilforte Grantz, walked along side him. He chose to be vigilant and not irritate his buddy. Besides, he was too busy looking around at the many people and markets scattered along the island. The town was enveloped in a sea of white snow. According to the navigator, this was a much north-east side of Europe and summer came along for merely two months, and a few days if they got lucky. The town leaned on the country side of things and mostly the shops offered cotton, clothes and food. Nothing more, nothing less.

"What a boring town" Ilforte mumbled. Grimmjow paid no mind to him. Or the fact that some people were looking at them strangely. They were dressed in normal clothing to hide as spies. "I don't see this island as anything special. It isn't worth pillaging"

"Ya know, a good ol' fashioned raid wouldn't be such a bad idea" the blue haired man had contemplated that. Killing innocent lives and taking things they worked hard for was like a thrill inside of him. More erotic then any lay. More adrenaline then any sugar. He lived for the hunt.

Ilforte noticed the fire in his buddy's eyes and sighed. As far as loyalty went, he respected and followed Grimmjow's orders over Aizen's.

"Fireland Town it is then"

333333333333333333333333333

"That's a pretty fucked up name" Tsubaki commented as he watched his breath form into a steamy substance in front of him. The group huddled together, not used to the cold weather in their light, winter outfits. It was freezing in their thick skirts and jackets. "Totally fools those traveling here. A fire would never last long"

"M-Maybe we should just keep going" Shuno shivered her teeth shattering.

"Word of us will reach to this town before we can find decent clothes" Hinagiku commented.

"And it takes to long to pass from one town to another" Lily added in. Shuno was a little grumpy about the gang up. She hated it when they took a northern route.

"We can still d-do this!" Orihime tried staying a little optimistic. She disliked cold weather as much as the next person but did they have a choice? They had traded with a neighboring tribe a while back.

"Fine!" Tsubaki scowled.

The group entered the area in their unsual clothes. Of course people took note of them and Inoue sighed in contempt as she noticed it was a pretty unpopulated area and the trees looked really pretty with crystal ice hanging from their branches and the rooftops looked like gingerbread house tops covered in cream. It wasn't like Orihime really had such family memories but she had been to friend's houses during Christmas.

"Jeez, the place dosn't even have a town suqare!" Lily gasped.

"We'll work around it" Ayame walked further ahead of the group and began to pitch the large purple tent. The other girls helped and Inoue quickly took her position along with the men who lifted their instruments out of their packs.

000000000000000000000000000

"For the love of!" Ilforte exclaimed. He looked on as a group of oddly dressed people began to form a large sparkling purple tent in the middle of the white, brick road. People who were on their way stopped and watched as the men began to bump against the drums and fling against the strings of their guitars. A female was blonde hair in a ponytail was playing a melodic flute. Another female was passing clothes in and out of the tent.

But the blonde was sourly pissed because the tent was definitely going to mess up his map that he had been working on over the town.

"Who the hell do they think they are?!" he questioned, surley intent to complain.

"Mmm, I'd place my money on Gypsies" the other male commented, cocking his head to the oddly colored clothing and beads of jewelry and beads hanging on all the figures.

"What are those?"

"Are ya that stupid, Ilforte?"

Said blonde huffed at his friend.

"Their notorious for their stealing and seducing" Grimmjow licked his lips at the thought of the latter ability. "They can hypnotize you with their movements and seduce you with their so called magic and spells" it wasn't really like the male didn't believe in the stuff. It was just embarressing to see them use fake stones and spells to fool everyone. "Then, once you think they are merely angels in disguise, the next time you glance to get your wallet or jewels or something, those objects are gone and the 'angels' have disappeared"

"Devils"

The blue haired man grabbed his companion. "Not as bad as us though. Best to keep a safe distance from them"

Ilforte nodded.

33333333333333333333333333333333

The music blasted and Orihime finally stepped out. Her beads and gems hanging from her ankles, wrists and neck glimmered in the winter sun as she shot a cute smile at the crowd and started her dance. It began slow then picked up. Her legs jumped from one position to another, making her body bounce like something else was controling it. Her hands flailed around to add a more exotic tone to her movements, almost persuasive. She winked here and there at those who were brave enough to make eye contact. It was much too cold to take of her shawl but she did slid her hands up and down her hips seductively, but still sickened at the looks some of the men in the crowd gave her.

As the music got louder, some how, so was her dancing. She began to dance faster, her movements in perfect alliance, never slowing down for an instant, going on and on, her body facing off against the harsh weather in a battle royal.

The beat slowed. She slowed.

The beat quickened. She quickened.

The beat changed to soft yet fast. So did Inoue's body.

The beat changed to fast yet soft. So did Inoue's body.

If there _was_ another force making her body move like that, it was the music. It was the ventriloquist and she was the puppet.

Inoue always felt like she was escaping the world, and its troubles, and dancing on a cloud everytime she did this. It seemed like the sounds and weather of the town drifted off, leaving her floating on air. She would imagine dancing with her brother again, him a good 5 feet taller then her. She would giggle when he picked her up and spun her around. Her body was simply used to the light feeling. She loved to pour her passion onto her movements and then, in that blissful moment, Inoue knew nothing was more beautiful then the Sound of Music.

And in one short tick, the sounds stopped and the orange haired female returned to the Real World.

77777777777777777777777777777

"I say we raid it anyways" the blue haired male shrugged. "Why not? The guys seem pretty stuffy in the ship. Haven't had a decent pillage for a good 4 moons"

Aizen contimplated this. For a second.

"If it is not a usuful supply of equipment, then it is not worth our time"

Grimmjow grinded his teeth. The bastard! They were the most feared creatures in the sea! If they decided to stop taking over cities with little supplies, someone is bound to notice!! Then towns will go back to simple lives with cotton and food as their main priorities. Then no city or town will have enough damn _supplies_!

Best to make the _world_ fear them. Nothing was _taboo_!

"Besides," Aizen got up from his 'throne'. That was another thing that annoyed Grimmjow. The prick got a fucking throne for himself "the Hougyoku is pointing us somewhere else now"

This made the blue haired male roll his eyes.

Ever since they picked up that stupid blue orb, Aizen had been relying on it to lead them wherever. It was the reason, along with little supplies, why they hadn't had a raid in awhile. It decided what to do and where to steal. Aparently, it was the Point of the Heavens. Or something. One of these days, some of the crewmean threatened, one of these days someone is going to through that blasted orb out to sea and we can finally be free of our loyalty to a sphere!

But they were hollow threats.

Aizen Sosuke guarded that thing with his life. He always kept a dagger with him or some sort of weapon. Not like he needed one. He didn't look it but that brunette was fucking ripped and he could pick up a man like Yammi, 2000 or so pounds of muscle, and throw him out to sea without breaking a sweat. Some who have seen the Captain's power thought the devil possesed Sosuke. Some thought he _was_ the devil.

No human could do what he has done.

Exaclty. That's why the crew never seemed bothered.

"Tousen" said devil called. The blind second mate stood straight, as usual, and awaited orders. "Tell Tesla to head east by north-east"

Somehow the blind man knew the ship like the back of his hand and would have no trouble finding one of the ship's navigators. He bowed, turned and stalked off.

Another ass Grimmjow hated.

"Grimmjow" the blue-haired man looked at his captain. "Your in charge of the next shift"

Said male bite his lip to stop himself before sprouting a string of curses. More humiliation? "I didn't take _that_ many potatoes"

Aizen grinned and looked at Grimmjow. The light of the moon hanging in the night sky shined into the room and set his usually warm chocolate eyes to black coals. "You think? I certainly don't look at it that way. You will take the next shift. That is final. Now leave"

More then anything, Grimmjow hated to be man-handled. But the look Aizen gave him made him shiver and agree with the idiot who came up with the idea of Aizen Sosuke being the Devil.

555555555555555555555555

_**End**_


	5. Chapter 5

1111111111111111111111111111

Thankfully, the Shun-Shun Rikas were able to discard their wet, thin winter clothes and switch back to their traditional outfits. After two nights of cold performances and dreary mornings, even Tsubaki had to smile at the change in weather. Lily admitted she simply wanted to jump up and down in joy and Baigon treated her by playing the drums while she danced and spun around with Shuno, Orihime and Ayame. They had a mini party before reaching their next town. Thankfully, it was farther away then the last area. Apparently, angry townsfolk chased them out of the area after Fireland Town because they heard of them already.

"Damn, news is way faster these days" Ayame had complained.

Now they found themselves in another peaceful town, thought it leaned on the city type. It did not make Inoue cringe though, as cities usually did.

Everyone seemed less awkward with each other and friendlier. It was like a small city. But not quite a town.

"What a crowd!" Baigon exclaimed, looking around.

"Oh wow, and they even have a map!" Shuno pointed at the large black billboard at the side of the road. The group scurried over there and checked out what it said. The billboard gave them a list of places and where they were. In addition, it indicated where they stood now.

"Whoa!" Hinagiku hissed.

The other nodded.

With a quick check, they managed to find the largest place in the city and my, was it _large_. It didn't have a run-way but it didn't really need it. Their were benches for the males to sit and play and the stoned pavement was much larger then the tent Inoue dressed up in. With an exciting glee flowing between them, the group scattered to their respectable place.

It wasn't long at all tille a large crowd formed.

2222222222222222222222222222222

"Ok, Grimmjow, no offense, but your being an ass now" Ilforte frowned. His buddy looked at him between a red scarf that covered mostly his face. A large purple turban with a grey shawl covered his body. Unfortunatly, news of the Hueco Mundo had spread to this large yet not as much populated city. The faces of every crew member were scattered everywhere. As usual, the ship kept a decent distance from the shore. Couldn't risk being caught before starting his shift. The two males decided to wrap themselves up in traditional outfits, shared among the people of this old fashioned city.

As usual, the male was sulking again. Not even the bright lights and the twist of the weather would make him smile. Like they ever did anyways. He hated being ridiculed like this. Taking shifts like a sailor. He was fucking Pirate for God's sakes.

These outfits were just pissing him off even more.

However, what made it suck the most was the fact that he was in charge of the very thing that tipped the rest of his crewmates off.

7070707070707

_**Aizen grabbed onto the blue haired man's shoulder and spun him around with a simple twist of the hand. Grimmjow faced his captain's dead serious brown eyes. All right, this was odd. The male was on his way to the front of the ship. They landed the ship near a hidden side of the island and with a bit of shadow, masked the vision of the twisted ship from normal eyes. **_

"_**Aizen…-sama?" the male cringed to have to add that suffix. But he knew his captain was strict on formality.**_

"_**Take this with you" a sinister smile stretched on the serious man's face. In a quick gesture, he slipped something that pulsed into the blue haired man's pocket. "It'll guide you to what we are searching for."**_

_**Aizen then let go of his crewmember and Grimmjow left suddenly.**_

0707070707070

After a sneak peek, Jeagerjaques cursed his Captain. He had no idea why Aizen, who obviously didn't trust or like Grimmjow, would pass on his most valuable item and let him be incharge of finding whatever it is the Hougyoku is looking for. Even giving the responsibility to Ilforte would have made more sense.

Was it that he trusted him?

Ya, fucking, right.

"Grimmjow!" Ilforte turned and called to his friend. Too late.

In all his thinking, Grimmjow had neglected to watch where he was going. He ran straight into a female with long black hair. She was pushed onto the large purple tent that had seemed to reappear from out of nowhere.

"Oh no!" the girl cried. The tent looked like it was close to collapsing.

"Fuck you!" Grimmjow pushed the fragile looking girl aside. Ignoring him, she went frantic over the camp. She began pinning back the covers. Obviously someone was inside because the blue haired male could see hands pushing the covers back up as well.

He sneered and followed his friend, who steered away from the tent.

"Could have fuckin' warned me"

"Tried to. You weren't paying attention"

Grimmjow looked back at the tent. The panic had stopped as the Gypsies looked like they were ready to start.

"Jesus, what a crowd"

Jeagerjaques glared at his blonde friend, who put a hand to his mouth. "Sorry" he whispered.

Grimmjow looked behind his friend at the large crowd accumilated. They were all staring in wonder and amazment at the colors and the soft music already being played.

_Fools_, he thought. If only they knew the trap the seductive snakes called Gypsies were setting for them. In a way, Grimmjow admired their cunning ways of perception, deception and power of the human mind. Based on the scenery, he could tell that this type of tribe was the Ursari Natsia. Performers and con artists.

The male stood in place, a smile on his mouth. The women of this kind of tribe were very notorious for their beauty and skills in _other_ areas.

"Grimmjow?" Ilforte came back.

As long as he was here, the male was going to have some fun.

"Let's stick around for awhile. Maybe we'll get lucky" he flashed a sadistic, fiery smile at his friend before moving to the front of the crowd. Knowing the smile, Ilforte followed his leader.

The music began to play louder, indicating the real dancers were coming up. Everyone was in hushed silence as the performance began.

_Suckers_, Grimmjow grinned.

Three women took their spots and began to sway their bodies and hips back and forth and swing their arms in a rhythmic motion. The men beat their ruff hands on the even rougher drums.

And then she came out.

4444444444444444444444

_**End**_


	6. Chapter 6

88888888888888888888

The first thing Grimmjow saw was orange. No, auburn. A bunch of auburn. They were like large strands of ribbon soaring in the air. Next, he noticed the sparkling jewels and crystals on the hands, neck and feet of the figure. They clanged together, creating a melodic tune, to the point were he wondered how she got them to make the same beat as the instruments. Then his eyes went into a more detailed look and saw she wore an interesting outfit. It was made of a blue skirt that was a little darker then his hair and a white blouse with a collar that wrapped around the top of her shoulders, revealing her peach skin in the broad daylight. Her transparent light grey shawl was untied, by her, and she used it to continue her seductive dance. As she came closer and closer, her dull grey eyes shimmered against the light of the sun, creating the illusion of blue eyes. Now those eyes were glazed, as if she was lost in another world. Overall, she defiantly fit the image of a gypsy.

Grimmjow smiled darkly as he watched her twist her perfectly shaped body around the crowd. Everyone clapped to her beat and never let her escape their sights. The woman was like a bird, flying here and there, past the admiring eyes of jealous women and induced men. The blue haired pirate could not help but agree with their looks. She was quite a magnificent dancer. And the fact that her small blouse stretched in the front didn't go unnoticed my many males, including Grimmjow. When she randomly winked at him, he grinned up at her in a feral manner. This made her smile falter a little and she jumped to another section of the crowd.

2222222222222222222222222222222

Starting out, Orihime was doing a great job. Everyone was looking at her, oblivious to their surroundings, and more people joined in. The extra glitters on her face must have added the right touch. She grinned widely and let her skirt flutter up and around her legs, making them look like small wings. Again, she let herself get lost in the beats and sounds of the instruments that infiltrated her ears. Her soul was lifted from her body and danced in the skies like a fluttering bird. She could not hear anything anymore, but the sounds of beats etched into her mind. It was quite an exotic feeling like a shiver going through her body.

Inoue looked out at the crowd and giggled silently to herself when she spotted her short blonde friend, having disappeared from the performance, easing her way easily through the crowd and reaching into their loose pockets for wallets. Inoue moved closer to the space were more people formed. It was crowded but she managed to catch a few people's attention away from Shuno.

Becoming a little bolder, the orange haired female looked out to the crowd until she spotted on who looked like they had their head down and their eyes covered by a purple turban. That wasn't good. They could easily spot her friend. She eased in a little closer to that figure and managed to get them to raise their head. When they did, she almost froze.

Icy blue eyes stared back at her, grabbing her soul and ripping it from the skies back down to her body. The figure, obviously a man, grinned seductively at her. He was like a dark sheep in Orihime's field of flowers. She shivered at the look he gave her. For a split second, the female lost her footing but managed to regain it and admitted to not go near that male throughout the performance.

There was something about him that just wasn't right at all.

22222222222222222222222222222

Her hesitation did not go unnoticed by the sadistic male. He almost chuckled aloud to himself. Her reaction was perfect.

The performance ended a little after that and the group began to quickly pack up their things. They obviously needed to get out of there fast before anyone noticed their missing valuables.

"Please!" a male with spiky black hair called. He had a yellow scarf around his mouth "we do not take money! Our performance in mainly to entertain the world!"

Bullshit.

But it did cause the crowd to smile and discuss the amazing mix of the cultures of Romania.

"Grimmjow, come on!" Ilforte hissed at his friend, tugging on his arm. Grimmjow shot him a glare.

"Fine" he grimaced but couldn't help but look back to see if his little dancer was still there. She wasn't. With an angry huff he followed his blonde friend.

He completely ignored the horrendous buzzing movement coming from the Hougyoku in his pocket. Thankfully, he managed to protect it through the pick-pocketing.

1111111111111111111111

"Let's all give each other a pat on the back" Baigon cheered and everyone did. They giggled and laughed at the huge amount of profit they got from the show.

Orihime, however, was sitting the excitement out. Her thoughts could not leave the image of the male beneath the purple turban. His eyes were implanted in her mind.

"Hime?" Ayame came to join her on the bench. The group had returned to their cart and were celebrating a great victory well away from the area they preformed in. There loot was stashed in large red bags and stored in the back.

Inoue looked up at her friend's confused face. She smiled. "Oh hey!"

"You ok?"

"Yeah. Just tired"

That wasn't completely untrue. Inoue felt like she hadn't danced that way in years.

"Well you can rest up real well!" Lily smiled. "The next town isn't until three days from now!"

Orihime smiled and let her friends lead her to the celebration. It wasn't like she was ever going to see that man again.

000000000000000000000

The two males finished their look around the land. It was large and definitely passed the test.

"Looks like your going to get the raid ya wanted, Grim" Ilforte smiled at his leader. Said male smiled back.

Finally.

333333333333333333333

Night had fallen over the large city. The Shun Shun Rika were, unfortunately, still in the heart of it all. So, for the first time in a long time, they decided to sleep in the very city they robbed. To be cautions, they parked their cart at the side of a wall, well into the shadows of a large building. They set up their covers inside the vehicle and took turns taking watches from outside.

It wasn't long before it was Inoue's turn.

2222222222222222222222

The night was a blanket of quietness over the vast city. Aizen stared at it, smiling his devilish smile as he scanned the area with his gleaming eyes. It was quite an impressive side of the country. Filled but not to the extent that it was a true city. It was modest in the number of buildings and shelters. Animals stayed huddled in their corners and the shore of the town was soft and calm as the waves that crashed onto it.

Aizen fisted the Hougyoku in his right palm. He could feel the orb pulse quickly like a living thing. It sensed something.

"Ready Aizen-sama?" cooed the swift voice of his second-in-command, Gin Ichimaru.

"Yes" he answered.

666666666666666666666

In merely a few hours, the deadly crew of the Hueco Mundo set chaos into the normally peaceful town.

111111111111111111111

_**End**_


	7. Chapter 7

0000000000000000000000000000000

Cries of bloody murder rang throughout the town, causing the Shun Shun Rika to snap out of their sleep. Tsubaki swore as his head hit the ceiling of the cart. The females began to jitter at the sounds coming from outside. Inoue cringed every time she heard the screams from outside.

"What in God's name!" Tsubaki exclaimed, jumping from his futon and sliding the door of the vehicle open quickly. The females followed him as he jumped out and looked around. The first thing that reached their senses was the smell of smoke and the flames of fire. Next, they saw people, villagers with wide eyes and O shaped mouths, running for their lives in whatever direction. The empty street was now filled with the cries of terror.

Orihime watched a young woman pushing her two children in front of her as they ran down the street, closer to a larger fire up ahead. Hinagiku managed to stop some one. It was a man and he looked like he was woken up out of bed. He still had his pajamas on.

"What's going on, man!" Hinagiku exclaimed, trying to get his voice higher then the screams of the villagers.

"Pirates!" the man shouted back and tore himself from the grip of the older male.

"Pirates!?" Lily cried, looking at the other members.

Not good. Gypsies and Pirates are never to cross one another. They were the same in many ways but how they got their treasures were completely different. Each one would not give up their valuables to the other, causing many clashes to happen. It wasn't like it ever happened before but both knew of the troubles the other could cause.

Tsubaki cursed under his breath and hitched onto the front of the wagon. He snapped the horses awake and called for the rest to jump on. In a frantic frenzy, the Shun Shun Rika disappeared into the dark streets.

222222222222222222222222

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Grimmjow howled as he stabbed the already dead man a few more times. Swinging his drenched sword, the male managed to trip a young woman and two children as they tried to sneak past him. "Where do ya think yer goin'?" he smiled dastardly. The woman huddled the two children closer to her body and stared wide eyed at the bloodied murderer.

"Please…" she whispered.

Without a second thought, Grimmjow sliced the woman's head right off. The body part fell to the ground, and she followed quickly. A fountain of blood erupted from her throat, soaking the ground and the two crying kids in smoking hot liquid. Her terrified eyes still stared emotionless up at Grimmjow, who kicked her head away.

"Life ain't fair kiddies" the male went on, grabbing both and flinging them on his shoulders. He began to march. "Shit happens and there's nothing ya can do bout it" the kids continued to wail and cry as they thrashed against his steel grip. "Haven't kept an enemy alive since a year ago" his grin widened, recalling the image of a bleeding male who still stood tall and proud "but I ain't waitin' another few years for you both to grow up and hunt me down" he finally reached the edge of the fire. "Shit, if I was still Flesh, I'd be damned to Hell by now" he raised both kids "but I ain't so the _Lord_ can't do shit!"

With a simple flick, both gasping children entered the flames. Their wails of pain soon died against the roar of the fire. Their corpses shrivelled into nothing instantly.

2222222222222222222222222222

"Damn!" Tsubaki pulled harder on the reins but it was too late. The horses neighed loudly and fell to the ground, their hooves mere inches from the foot of the blazing fire. The cart fell to its side and the members of the Gypsy group toppled out ands onto each other. Inoue was squished between her two female friends.

"Owwwwww…" Lily moaned, trying to get up. At least the guys took the full blow of the impact.

"Dang…" Baigon hissed and pushed himself into a sitting position. When he looked up, he was shocked. "Our luggage!" he cried.

The others watched in horror as their treasures - jewels, gold coins, money - were distributed all across the street. The fire that neared the items began to melt them.

In a desperate attempt, Inoue rushed over and grabbed as many treasures as she could and threw them in a safer place. She also grabbed their own treasures - clothes, tent, sleeping bag, food - before they fell out of the crat. The Shun Shun Rika backed her up.

"This is fuckin mad!" Shuno cried, managing to carry the last of the good away from the fire. "Last time I cheaked, pirate raids are never _this_ bad!"

Ayame looked like she was close to breaking down and crying. Orihime grabbed her shoulder to stop her. Even though she was the new recruit, her brothers and sisters were not without emotions.

"We have to find shelter now!"

The group scurried with their luggage and prizes down the street and away from as many fire spots as possible. Unfortunatly, whoever planned this raid had made sure no one left. Blazing flames circled the entire town, locking down doorways, enterances and even forest escapes. The escapes were even to the point where people threw themselves into the fire in a desperate chance to find a cold spot. They all seemed to burn up before evn hitting the ground. Inoue couldn't bear to stare at the suicidal jumps, but she could't help but notice how peculiar the fire was. It was sort of…hypnotic.

"This people are _really_ _crazy_" Shunpo shuddered.

666666666666666666666666666666666

Ulquiorra looked around, his eyes dancing from figure to figure. People threw themselves everywhere, on other people and even into the fire. If he had the time or patience, he would have started laughing at their pitiful attempts to escape this Hell. But he was on a mission and he'd be damned by his captain if he didn't finish it. Strolling down the street naturally, as if the fire was no problem, the green eyed male looked over to see his counterpart and rival Grimmjow licking his hand clean with a feral grin plastered on his face. The blood was obviously not his. Ulquiorra scoffed in disgust at the smell infiltrating his nose from the corpses underneath Grimmjow. He hated the smell of Flesh blood. It was degrading to rely on it.

"Yo" Grimmjow called. His usual sadistic smile faltered at the sight of his rival. His face would always twist in an almost angry expression every time he saw him. Well, except for the times he challenged and/or defeated Ulquiorra in something. This was not often at all, though.

The male chose to ignore the other man and kept on strutting down the street.

Suddenly, a hand came and clasped itself onto Ulquiorra's right pocket. He stopped and side glanced.

"Let me go"

"So the captain gave ya the blasted object too, huh" Grimmjow smirked a little. He felt the Hougyoku pulse inside the pocket rapidly. "Wonder why it's acting up like that"

"It sense what Aizen-sama is looking for," Ulquiorra answered, as if it was the most normal thing.

"So what exactly _is_ he looking for?'

Ulquiorra did not answer. He chose to slap Grimmjow's hand away and keep on walking silently. Like he had time to explain such matters to a man so thick headed as Grimmjow.

Said male raised an eyebrow in frustration over his fellow crewmate. He was just as much of a prick as Aizen and Tousen combined. Besides, he always walked like a pole was sticking up his ass or something. But the angry look didn't stay long on the males face. Another one of his signature, frightening smiles erupted on his face as he gripped the spherical form of the Hougyoku in the hand that grabbed Ulquiorra's pocket and snuck away the object. Now who's all high and mighty? Grimmjow couldn't wait to see the look on Aizen's face when he finds out one of his precious Arrancars lost the most valuable treasure ever to face the Las Noches ship.

Grimmjow slipped the object that would be the demise of his hated rival in his pocket and strode off, knowing that this raid would be one of his favourites.

3333333333333333333333333

The pirates that had infiltrated the town were now running a rampage all over. Just a typical attack. First the terror, then the attackers. They ripped their swords and weapons from their sheathes and tore up whatever was the fire did not eat up. Even people. Inoue had to look away as one of the pirates, death in his eyes, tore up a man running away. He was quick but the attacker was quicker. Luckily the Shun-Shun Rika were able to bypass all the pirates they saw along the way. Unlike their counterparts, gypsies were notoriously good for their ability to be undetected.

"Just another few miles, and we'll be past the border," Tsubaki whispered to his brethren. They nodded. Thankfully, the fire surrounding the town was dangerous but not perfect. The soil on the border of the usually dry town was wet and sucked up the fire, leaving a few patches of black earth for people to walk on. Gypsies were quite knowledgeable in these kinds of things, for they needed to master ways of escaping attacks.

The group scurried past yet another group of pirates taking on another group of civilians more then twice their size. Once again, being the more squeamish of the group, Orihime looked away from all the violence and rage even though the blood of innocent people drenched her bare feet. She almost bent over and vomited. But she trained her stomach well.

The group were simply a few meters away from the wet soil when they passed by a certain pirate Orihime had to turn her head to see. And…yes. It was him. She wasn't sure of it but when the corner of her eye caught something purple and red, she could almost predicted it was him. His turban was still wrapped around him but on his shoulders, while the rest of his body was drenched in red liquid. Now she could see had had electric, sky blue hair that matched those cold eyes of his that haunted her otherwise clear mind. His grin now though was much more dangerous and fucked up then the one he gave her before.

The man looked like a bloody devil.

But something else caught her eye. For some reason, when he turned around, she could see something glowing in the male's back pocket. It was a small glow but none the less, shined so brightly she wondered why no one stopped to stare at it. The light was purple and almost blinding and if she held it in her hands, she could tell easily that it was moving, like something alive. It looked like it was almost beckoning her and, feeling a little light headed, she obeyed, slipping away from her group. Anyone who decided to turn his or her heads and watch her thought she was either mad or insane, approaching the sadistically laughing man. He was still swinging his sword, slicing the air and whatever came 3 feet near him.

Yet somehow he missed Orihime.

4444444444444444444444444444444

_**End**_


	8. Chapter 8

44444444444444444444

The raid came to an end as the pirates of the Hueco Mundo managed to bag all the right needs and wants and head back to their ship. Each and everyone one of them was drenched in blood, both theirs and someone else's. Tesla, a man under Nnoitra, took out the fire surrounding the town with a flick of his hands. Inky black scorch marks and the remains of bodies were left as proof of what happened. The ship looked sourly demonic in the moon light. Yet with Grimmjow, he had, had too much fun to worry about getting any equipment. The others got more then enough. The blue haired man was more interested in seeing the look on Ulquiorra and Aizen's faces when they realize the Hougyoku was AWOL. He grinned as found the raven haired man approaching the cabin of their captain right then. He followed Ulquiorra.

"Hey, partner, good raid, huh?"

He was never friendly at all to anybody unless he was mocking or wanted something.

Ulquiorra chose to ignore the man, and walk into the small cabin. A lead of wooden stairs met him.

"Mind if I come? Need ta report somethin' to Aizen-teme"

Again, Ulquiorra ignored him. But he didn't stop him. That was good enough for Grimmjow. He followed his fellow crewmate down the steps and into a lit room. Aizen Sosuke was sitting at his desk, writing in something that resembled a journal. Maps were lying around the other tables and a globe sat at a corner. Drinks were placed alongside shelves after shelves of books. The only source of light was the moonlight and several candles around the room. Aizen was too into his writing to notice his two strongest crewmates enter the room.

"Aizen-sama" Ulquiorra said, in his hollow and emotionless voice.

The captain raised his head. He gave both of the men a smile. It was warmer then his usual smile. Grimmjow still shivered at it.

"Ah, I hope your visit went well"

He always called their raids and pillages 'visits' for some reason. Grimmjow wondered if he was just being _polite_ or something. As fucking usual. Aizen skimmed his eyes to Grimmjow for a few seconds.

"It went well?"

"Yeah' the blue haired man mumbled, looking away. He hated making eye contact with the captain. Aizen had the most frightening and nerve wracking eyes if you didn't know him.

"Excellent" completely ignoring Grimmjow, the brunette looked at one of his most prized members "and did the Hougyoku sense anything?"

Maybe unknown to the two, the blue haired male behind Ulquiorra smiled. He was defiantly going to enjoy this. Emo bastard was going to get hammered.

"Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra began, "I'm afraid I have lost position of the Hougyoku"

Ha! Grimmjow quickly looked over at his captain, waiting for the male's face to twist into devilish anger.

"Did it drop?" Sosuke asked instead.

"No. I had it securely tucked into my pocket. If someone were to take it, they would have to reach deep inside."

"Hm" the captain looked deep in thought about something. He brought his fingers to his mouth consciously. His eyebrows were knitted together and his eyes glowered which was a new look on him. But not the right one. Grimmjow's grin faltered. Why wasn't the asshole angry?

As usual, Ulquiorra was silent in waiting. He had more patients then a saint.

"Curious. But good. Very well then, Ulquiorra. You may leave"

Ok, what the fuck?

Instead of Aizen's, _Grimmjow's _face twisted in anger and confusion. This was beyond odd. And irritating.

Without asking any kind of question, Ulquiorra bowed to his captain, turning on his heels and strutted out, brushing past Grimmjow and up the stairs. He was not a curious man when it came to his superior. He took things as is. Unlike Grimmjow.

Aizen looked over at said male and frowned a bit. "Do you need something?"

Yeah he needed something. A fucking explanation. "Ulquiorra lost the bloody Hougyoku" he hissed under his breathe "aren't you panicked?"

Aizen smiled slightly and leaned forward. As he did so, he brought his arms up and secured his elbows on the table, putting his head on the back of his interlocked hands. He regarded Grimmjow was humour. "Want to hear a secret?"

Like many things Aizen did, this calm and friendly humour scared Grimmjow. And basically nothing scared him. Not even death. Aizen was worse then death. The blue haired male mentally shivered but refused to show it one the outside. Being scared was a sign of weakness. He stayed silent and Aizen took that as a yes.

He leaned back on his hair, which was not wooden. It was made of wool and plastic.

"Do you know how the Hougyoku was created?" he questioned. Silence. "It was created by a man. A genius if you will. And an old pirate captain. Perhaps you've heard of him. Urahara Kisuke"

Aizen took the pleasure of seeing surprise and familiarity pass by Grimmjow's face. Heard of Urahara Kisuke? Who hasn't? He was one of the most respectable and feared pirate in the world, before Aizen, of course. He was in charge of the ship called the _Mascherato_ which meant 'Masked'. That was because, excluding himself, his entire crew was made up of men _and woman_ who placed masks on themselves to hid their identity. They had their own special name. While arrancars were of the Hueco Mundo, vizards were of the _Mascherato_. Unfortunately, the navy managed to catch them in the end. Some vizards escaped, some killed. Neither crew raided either ship. Yet the navy managed to, as the story goes, blow off the entire bow of the ship and it began to collapse on itself. As a true pirate and shipper, Kisuke upholder the saying "a captain must go down with his ship". He tied himself to the ship's wing and disappeared behind the planks of wooden surrounding him. Tales of his adventures and tertiary were always told everywhere.

"A familiar story, yes" Aizen began again, snapping Grimmjow out of his Kisuke review "but everyone only knows the half of the story of that man." Sosuke stood up suddenly and walked to the window were the rays of moonlight beamed down on him. "He was once a part of the navy. A few years into his promotion as a captain of one of the fleets, he was framed and sentenced to exile. Instead, he made use of his life and became what we now know him as a legend. But another side of him was that he was a scientist. And he claimed he had gained the energy of Hell known as Hell's Fire." Aizen chuckled. "Of course everyone thought he was crazy and didn't take him seriously at all. They were fools, though. He did in fact gain that amounted energy and manifested it into the Hougyoku. It truly is the Point of Dimensions. Using it, he managed to blow up small villages and create tsunamis and earthquakes."

Grimmjow's head was now reeling, processing this new information. Kisuke was probably his only hero. Knowing he created the Hougyoku, and understanding just how powerful it was, gave him a head ache.

"But," the brunette snapped, smiled dropping a little. "Urahara was a fool as well. Before dieing, he secured the Hougyoku into a vessel on his very last raid." Aizen looked over at Grimmjow. The moonlight made his eyes dance with fire. "That vessel was none other then Rukia Kuchiki"

Grimmjow knew the name all too well. She was the adoptive daughter of one of the most powerful navy ship captains in the world, Byakuya Kuchiki. She was training to be one of the first women to enter the navy at the moment. She was strong and powerful. But she had no chance when her hometown was raided and destroyed by the crew of the Hueco Mundo. Aizen, whom never left the safety of his cabin on raids, had decided to join that one. The arrancars could then see first hand how powerful the man really was. He took out crowds after crowds of commoners without getting on drop of blood or dirt on his silk outfit. After awhile, he disappeared from the battlefield only to come back after they decided to take their leave. It was then that the Hougyoku was introduced to the arrancars.

"She had it?" Grimmjow stated.

"Yes. Urahara Kisuke was her uncle, brother of her deceased biological sister. He had only taken by force some equipment instead of killing the villagers and entrusted her with the orb. I must say, she did put up quite a decent fight. Yet in the end, she gave up her life for the object. I don't blame her for that though. She hid it very well." He then pointed to his chest "she had it enclosed inside her body. She certainly knew how important it was and didn't trust even putting it in her pocket."

"How did you know?"

"Simple. It made a sound. You know what I am, Grimmjow. Something like that reacts around things like me. I could see it in her chest. I was quite surprised though that it was so small."

"So how come you haven't used it yet?"

Aizen's eyes suddenly glazed. The fire died and he no longer was smiling. He didn't look mad. Just expressionless. A shiver ran down Grimmjow's spine.

"Because, the orb was unstable. It didn't have the other half of the power that would balance it. Kisuke never managed to find the other half. This was why he was a fool"

The blue haired man managed to raise an eyebrow.

"Without its full power the Hougyoku can't function properly. It needs both sides to work right. I have taken it upon myself to look for that half." He paused, looking back out the window "after a few researching in Urahara's journals, though, I discovered that the other half was in fact Heaven's Light. While the Hougyoku was made of Hell's Fire, it needed something to balance it out. The power of its opposite dimension did the trick. Unfortunately, the side of the orb had already been entrusted on Earth. Do you know who?"

Stupid question. Aizen knew Grimmjow didn't know. He was just trying to make the male more nervous. And he succeeded. Sweat broke out over Grimmjow's forehead.

"It was in fact the reincarnation of a mythological icon. Her name was the Weaver Princess Orihime."

"How could a character from a story have an incarnation?" Grimmjow questioned, looking away from his captain.

"Simple. It was no story. This came from Urahara's research as he discovered Hell's Fire. She really did exist. The legend was true. She was really separated from her love and awaited the day were she could return to him. But something kept her preoccupied. The Heaven's entrusted her with their Light and she was to guard it. However, over time the power became one with her. Soon, she was unable to keep all the power locked up. So, using it, which was forbidden even though it was a part of her, she managed to create her own humanoid family tree. Not every one of those generations had someone that held her powers, but on those rare millenniums, someone managed to inherit Heaven's light. Over time, it was discovered every third millennium, someone, mostly a female, gained the Weaver Princess's powers. This millennium is one of those rare times."

"So, you've been looking for the reincarnation of the princess?"

"Precisely. It is well known that the family surrounds this area. They never even think to leave it because their souls are bound to the land. But the special thing about the members who inherit the power is that they are forever bound to the Weaver Princess herself and not just descendents. The Hougyoku senses its other half within the family member. The two are connected and can't keep away from each other."

"Well what's the use of it if it's gone?"

"Ah, now that's where it gets a little interesting" Aizen smirked, moving from the window back to his seat "no mere mortal can hold the orb tightly in their hands and live. It was send a burst of flames inside of the person's body and destroy them from there. Only those like us and the ones who inherit Heaven's Light can touch it. Ms. Kuchiki was unable to grasp the object so instead, placed it inside of her, cutting off its destructive power. Smart of her."

Grimmjow began to piece the puzzle. "So you mean…"

"Yes. Urahara Kisuke had been one of us after he was exiled. That was how he came to hold the power of Hell's Fire and that's how he was able to use it. Only our kind can. While the Hougyoku relies on evil and good to balance, so does the vessel. Which means she who holds Heaven's Light must be half of what we are."

The blue haired man's mind was reeling even more then before. This information was too much to comprehend and to vast to grip.

Aizen continued. "If someone had reached into Ulquiorra's pocket and grasped the Hougyoku, they would have been killed instantly. But since he did not report that, it must mean that…"

Grimmjow finished him. "The one who took the Hougyoku was the Weaver Princess's descendent."

His captain nodded, smiling even more. "And if that is correct, then we can track down both halves because they give off the purest rays of power that its simple for our kind to find them. If they have not joined together yet, it would be only a matter of time. We let them do as they please."

Grimmjow squeezed his eyes shut. He was seriously getting a massive headache. "Why…are you telling me this? Why not tell everyone else?"

His captain merely shrugged. "Perhaps I trust you"

Grimmjow grunted, indicating her didn't believe that at all.

"Someone must restrain the vessel when she comes on board. I believe you are the right choise. You don't tear things apart so easily. You observe your prey before attacking."

"Ulquiorra does the same"

"True, but he destroys from the inside. For now, I want her physical shell to break down. Then I'll send in Ulquiorra to do the rest. Once she is merely in a weak state, I will use her power, mixed with the Hougyoku's, and open the door to the realm of Kings. There, I will stand on the highest state in all dimensions as the new King."

The master plan was admitted.

88888888888888888888888888

_**End**_


	9. Chapter 9

444444444444444444444444444444444

Orihime twirled the orb around her thumb and index finger. It was sort of a hexagonal shape and quite small but its glow was bright none the less. It looked like it had something in the middle that let out the light. It didn't really move though if she concentrated it gave off a humming sound. But overall, it wasn't anything really special. It was fascinating to look at though. She couldn't even bring herself to put it down or keep it anywhere. Orihime didn't even trust putting it anywhere but inside of her. Which was strange but that was her urge.

"Inoue-chan?" came the small voice of Ayame, peeking at her friend. Orihime tore her eyes away from the object.

"Hm?"

"You ok? You've been cramped here since we escaped the town"

"Oh…um, just tired" that wasn't a lie. It had been way too hectic the last night.

"Well come out here! You need to get warmer. It's freezing inside." The raven haired gypsy rubbed her arms and walked out of the carriage. The Shun-Shun Rika managed to head south, thankfully escaping the cold land of the north. The sunrays beat down against the window next to Orihime's bed even though the room was pretty chilly. The orange haired female decided to take her friend's advice and got up from the bed. Then she spared a glance at the object in her hand. It began to pulse. Somehow, she felt it could sense her feelings and her leaving.

All of a sudden, Inoue felt like crying. Tears pulsed around her corner of her eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

That was strange. She wasn't sad at all. She didn't even have the ache in her chest when she was about to cry. And yet her tear duct seemed to have a mind of its own.

Regretfully, Orihime tore her eyes from the object and placed it on the desk.

It was just too strange to take care of now.

4444444444444444444444444444444

Outside, her family were around a camp. The smell of something good infiltrated her nose with a tickling sensation and she couldn't help but smile widely. They were cooking up her favourite. Lamb. She skittered down the small steps that connected the door of the carte to the ground and sat herself down next to Shunpo.

"Look, she exists!" the blonde gypsy giggled at her own joke. Inoue smiled and sat herself down next to her friend. She let her toes sink into the soft soil.

Baigon passed Inoue a piece of the already cooked meat. She took it and bit into it gratfully. As travling and running gypsies, the group never really got to sit around and eat together like a family. Not enough time for that. So they took charge for this rare moment and talked over different things. In all the time she spent with them, Orihime had only two moments like these in the 5 years shes been with the Shun-Shun Rika. Some new things were revealed about them. Like how Ayame hated salt on her eggs, and Hinagiku hated daises, and Tsubaki liked to swim. In addition, the group got to learn a little more on Orihime herself. She loved to plant and dreamt of being either a doctor or a cook. The group were exasperating that she should go for a doctor more then a cook, being honest that her cooking isn't all its cracked up to be. She also never got into trouble and always backed down from a fight. She was really the ultimate pacifist, even if that did get her some bullies.

Once the lambs disappeared, the group hitched themselves back onto the trail.

222222222222222222222222222222

Grimmjow could feel it. Aizen was right. The Hougyoku really did pulse and the whole crew could even hear its humming. It sounded very irritated or anxious. The blue haired male looked out into the sea. Above, Tesla commanded those rowing the ship where to go. To be honest, anyone could be doing what Tesla was doing. They could all map out the way to the orb if they wanted to. Grimmjow sniffed the salty air around him. The one thing about this whole business he did found annoying was the fact that he was supposed to be a baby sitter. _Him_, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, the post powerful member on board!

He grumbled. The news of Kisuke's discovery was still going through his mind as well.

Grimmjow was no idiot. He knew this thing, Hell's Fire, was very powerful and was seriously needed. He played with the idea of taking it from under Aizen's nose and using it to become the King himself. But then he would shake his head and return to his grumpiness. Aizen took the Hougyoku very seriously and would probably kill anyone who laid a hand on the orb and its host. Grimmjow sighed. At least he got to watch one half of the ultimate power. He surely hoped it was a woman for obvious reasons. He didn't feel at all comfortable with everyone knowing he kept a man in his presence all the time and didn't know about what he was. He could almost hear the gossiping whisperers.

"You ok?" Ilforte came up from behind the slouching man "ya look more depressed then usual"

"It's nothin'. Just this whole orb thing's got be irritated" however the rough waves and the sound of seagulls, as usual, calmed him down enough to just sulk.

"I know what ya mean" the blonde male looked out to the sea. "I hadn't thought that the Hougyoku could have this kind of affect on us"

"You have no idea" Grimmjow said under his breathe.

"Hm?"

"Nothing" Aizen was very strict on Grimmjow not telling anyone about what he had heard. The brunette felt like it would jeopardize his plans if too many knew. Grimmjow asked why but Aizen didn't answer. He guessed it would be because many of the crew members would immediately jump at the chance of becoming the most powerful being in the universe.

Grimmjow continued his watch over the sea, noting the small dot of land up ahead.

99999999999999999999999999999999999

"Thank you, thank you!" Tsubaki called to the large crowd. "You're all to kind! We hope you enjoyed our show tonight!"

The group managed to reach a town, called Ringla, as nightfall began to come. That didn't stop them though. They brought out their scented candles and lanterns and set them up so that the performance would have a more mystically enchanting tone. Orihime was exceptionally good at those kinds of dances because other then the fast pace of the drums and strings of a guitar, she could swing her body like a ribbon to the melodic tune of a harp or flute. It gave off a calm aura she just adored.

The performance was also very much rewarding. At least three pockets were needed to fill all the gold and silver they gained.

The group patted each other on the back for a job well done, once again.

But suddenly, in the middle of their packing (they weren't taking any chances again), Orihime began to feel very much uneasy. Unconsciously she looked out into the horizon, as if expecting something to already be sitting there. The queasy feeling in her stomach made her lungs tighten in an unnatural way and she gulped down large amounts of clean air to steady her shaking form. Sweat broke out over her face and she hugged her arms. It was not cold out at all and yet she felt freezing. Orihime stood there, eyes out to the sea, waiting, waiting.

Something was coming. And it was coming fast.

"Inoue?" Lily shook the arm of her adoptive sister. Inoue snapped herself out of the trance she was in and looked over her should.

"Uhuh?"

"We're leaving" Lily pointed to the group, already loaded in. Tsubaki was on the reins again he was glaring at the orange haired female to hurry up.

"Oh…right!" Inoue spun around. "Sorry. Just dozed off there" she giggled nervously.

Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her. "Are you ok? You haven't really been acting like yourself lately, other then in your performance of course, after we left the last town. Did something happen?"

For some reason, Orihime didn't at all trust anyone with the knowledge of what she took from the cursed man. Not even her own family, her saviours. Or herself.

She smiled truthfully "nothing happen Lily-san! I was just a little traumatized by the event. The images are still reeling in my head. " to prove that, Inoue grabbed her forehead "I might be coming down with something. But really, all the blood just…scared me"

At least she could tell that much was true.

Lily assured her a good nights rest and a buttery concoction from Ayame will make her feel better.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The Hueco Mundo set itself aside in the shadows of a near by hill. A little more glimmer and it was now completely hidden from human eyes. The bridge connected the upper deck to the ground. Arrancars filed in, not in any order, and landed with quite and stealthy thumps. Their gleaming red eyes scanned the area. Dirt and rocks, mixed with the smell of something rotten filled their senses. Ulquiorra stood as their leader, according to Aizen, and he gestured to the small, quite town up ahead.

The group started their slow and dangerous paces to the land.

Grimmjow walked beside Ilforte and his other men – D Roy, Shawlong, Edrad and Nakeem. They position themselves in the middle of the crowd.

"Do you have a plan?" Shawlong questioned. He was somewhat like Ulquiorra though his whole allegiance was to Grimmjow. It was serious times like these that the teal eyed man had something up his sleeves. A sneak away or something. Instead, Grimmjow slouched and shrugged.

"Nothin"

This was surprising. Shawlong blinked a couple of times. "Pardon?"

"I don't feel like getting into any shit with Aizen-teme this time" the teal eyed male scratched his head and followed the large crowd faster. His gang of men looked at each other in worry, slowing down. Was their leader alright?

"Maybe Aizen did something to him" Ilforte frowned "I saw him coming to the captain before the raid. When he came out, he looked really grumpy and a little…scared"

Nakeem grunted. "Grimmjow is not afraid of anything"

"That's just how he looked, fatass" the blonde male bickered with his counterpart. One of arrancars urged the group forward, growling at them.

Grimmjow's mind, which was usually filled with thoughts of blood and fighting, was now a whirlwind of thoughts. It just didn't show on his straight face and slouched, uncaring posture. His whole mind was set on finding and cutting off that annoying humming of the Hougyoku. Teal eyes narrowed up ahead, as Ulquiorra slowed down to walk beside Grimmjow.

"Remember what I told you," he hissed under his breath. After talking with Aizen, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra has formed a plan to disapatch from the group as the raid went on and fine the two halves of the orb "don't lose you senses."

Grimmjow sneered and walked faster, away from Ulquiorra.

He hated having to work with the prick.

2222222222222222222222222222222222222222

The Shun-Shun Rika made their way through the forest beside Ringla. It wasn't as dark as before, dawn quickly approaching. Orihime watched the sun beginning to peek over the edge of the distant mountains. It coloured the sky purple and yellow. The trees didn't succeed in blocking out the breathtaking sight. The orange haired female smiled in content. The view from her window was perfect. Rays of the sun made her cracked window glimmer beautifully.

When night finally fell, the group huddled to a nearby tree. It was large and thick and its leaves were decent to hold of rain if it were to shower. Ayame set up the bedspread and Tsubaki stood on guard for the first shift. Inoue was a little frightful of this night though. The feeling she had before continued to creep up on her now that she was alone and huddled in her little corner. She was covered by the purple silk blanket she made herself a few weeks into her joining the gypsies. It was lovely and she was very proud of it.

Inoue made sure no one was looking when she took the orb, that stopped glowing, and held it to her chest as she covered her entire body with the covers. The object began to hiss and moan, as if it were alive and Orihime hesitated, hoping no one had heard. It seemed to react violently when she took hold of it. The thing pulsed in her grip and heated up, beginning to form its light again. Inoue watched it in fascination. It was beautiful.

At that moment, nothing meant anything to her. Not her job, or her family, or danger, or happiness. Nothing but that orb and her were important. Its light reflected off of her large grey eyes and she began to cry. And not like before. This time she wept and wept till she thought she couldn't cry anymore. It wasn't from pain or joy. The tears once again came on their own accord. Her body shook heavily as she continued her weeping.

Suddenly, a dark feeling moulted in her stomach and the auburn haired girl thought she was going to throw up. It was the same feeling she had before. Something was coming.

In a rush, she pulled the covers over and let out a high pitched scream.

Bumps and thumps were heard all over the small carriage. Some of the Shun-Shun Rika had hit their heads at the surprise attack coming from Inoue. The vehicle was lit in an instant and the members of the group came rushing to Orihime's corner. She had huddled herself in a ball and gripped her shoulders tightly. She didn't want to start crying for no reason again.

"Inoue-chan! Inoue-chan!" Shuno exclaimed, acting very frantic. "Are you ok!? Oh my gosh, you gave me a heart attack!"

The others nodded, murmuring in agreement. Their eyes were wide with concern and shock. Orihime didn't answer them but looked up from her position. She could tell from their faces that her tear stained face left a mess. She didn't care.

"Inoue-chan…" Lily whispered, noting her newfound sister had been crying. "What…happened?"

"Did you have a nightmare?" Tsubaki asked, for the very first time in a long time, showing concern for the auburn haired female.

Inoue shook her head. It was defiantly not a dream. Too real to be a dream.

"S-Something's coming…" she whispered loudly. "W-We have to go…something's coming, we have to go!!"

"What's coming, Inoue-chan?" Shuno came closer, clutching Orihime's hands.

"They're coming…I d-don't know but…they are coming. Someone's coming! W-We have to get out of here!"

In this moment, Inoue didn't realize or care for that matter how she looked. She must have looked like a madman, flailing her arms like she was and warning her family of a mysterious impending doom. But she needed to warn them. They _had_ to leave _now_!

Whatever they thought of her was soon discarded as Hinagiku disappeared from the vehicle. He took the rains of the sleeping horses and wiped them awake. They got up annoyed.

The gypsies were on the move.

4444444444444444444444444444444444444

Back with the arrancars, they could sense the object moving. Fast. With lightening fast, inhuman speed, one part of the large group sprinted from their hidden spots and followed a dark trail into the forest. The others were left to invade the town.

888888888888888888888888888888888888

_**End**_


	10. Chapter 10

333333333333333333333

Smelling out a prey was an old ritual, which the Arrancars had left behind centuries ago. But now, they needed their sense to track their target in the large, confusing and dark forest. In the black, their eyes gleamed a more death red than a soft red. Their feet made noise as their heavy footsteps crushed sticks, leaves and even rocks. They weren't heavy. Their powers were just seeping out too much. That was certainly caused by the fact that they were getting closer and closer to the power. The annoying humming turned into cries that echoed in their heads.

Grimmjow had the urge to cover his ears though hew knew the sound was coming through to his brain. His teal eyes narrowed down a path. As the light of the moon finally peeked through the tree branches, he, as well as the others, could see a large trail leading down the forest. Hooves and wheel prints were left in the wake. Ulquiorra stepped up and smelt the air around the lead.

"Still fresh" he announced. "They left only 5 minutes ago"

Grimmjow smirked. 5 minutes? It only took them 3 minutes to get this deep into the forest.

The attack was here, finally.

"When you see the vessel, wait for my orders" the green eyed male said. The crew that broke off to find the power, only 7 others, nodded their heads. They dashed through the large space.

"And what of the plan?" Grimmjow asked, cocking his head to the side. "I thought we were gonna ditch 'em"

"New plan" Ulquiorra answered "I hade not expected them to realize us so fast. The vessel must have warned them."

"Hm? How?"

"We give off an aura. One that corresponds to Hell's Fire. Heaven's Light can sense it. It can sense us."

Great, more unwanted knowledge. Grimmjow regretted asking his fellow crewmate.

"When we get there," Ulquiorra continued, taking small strides down the trail, " we may run into trouble. As the others fight, we will sneak in and take the vessel.

The more animalistic pirate cocked an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were one for sneak attacks Ulquiorra"

"This is a most crucial mission. We must take chances." Not wanting to hear what the other would say next, the raven-haired male dashed after the other men.

Grimmjow followed.

666666666666666666666666666666666666

Orihime's heart was pounding and her sweat socked her clothes and the surface under her. They weren't going fast enough!! Her whole body shook and she felt like she was going to have a heart attack. It didn't even occur to her that the orb she had held a few minutes ago had disappeared suddenly. Baigon had gone to get Inoue a cold wet towel and placed it on her forehead. His face was etched in worry as he witnessed his adoptive sister's break down. She looked like she was crying though it may just be her sweat and her nose bridge was flushed a dark red.

She was sick, he thought.

Orihime didn't feel sick though. Not in that sense, anyway. The terrible feeling in her conscience was just too much for her weak body to take.

She just hoped they would get far, far, _far_ away very soon.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

Grimmjow finally caught up to Ulquiorra and together, they followed the other men as they raced behind a large carriage. The sounds of its wheels crunching the ground below it made an annoying sound. But now, the sense of the power was more stronger then ever.

"There. The vessel is in there" Ulquiorra commented.

'No, shit" Grimmjow barked. The power was making him queasy and uncomfortable.

Obviously, horses were pulling the vehicle with a ringman at the very front. The purple shawl that glittered in the light of the stars made it obvious that this was not just any old carte. It was a passenger cart. The shawl made it certain that it was a _gypsy_ passenger cart.

Well, fuck.

A smirk spread across the teal-eyed man's face. He still remembered the last time he encountered these people. Back in the last town they took down. It was one of the best pillages the pirates had ever had. Grimmjow could still picture his auburn haired dancer and her hypnotic movements. Her angelic face had seemed to shine against the light of the sun and her smiles dazzled all attending her performance. He licked his lips unconsciously and in a feral manner. If only he had managed to catch up to her last time.

"Attack" Ulquiorra's voice boomed. Everyone heard it loud and clear.

They attacked.

222222222222222222222222

"What the hell!?" Hinagiku was trying to steady the horses till blurs of shadowed figures entered his view. The carriage had hit something and was losing control. It took all the will power of the horses and the male not to have the vehicle tilt over. Hinagiku gripped the reins for dear life.

Inside, the Shun-Shun Rika were wondering what on earth had happened. Treasure after treasures began to tumble from their places on the shelves and areas. Clusters of jewels littered the ground and many of the gypsies tripped on one another so as not to have the sharp edges of the rocks digging into their bare skin. This, however, caused all them members to fall like dynamos.

Tsubaki cursed and Ayame looked just about ready to cry.

Inoue couldn't turn her head for the thumping of her heart echoed in her ear and she heard nothing but her own body dieing on her.

She didn't even feel it when the omnibus tilted and fell to the cold, dirty ground outside. The gypsies all feel on one another once again and Orihime, who felt like she couldn't move at all, was tossed like a rag doll to the side that was on the ground. The horses outside cried out. Hinagiku's own shouts echoed the animals. The Shun-Shun Rika, excluding Inoue, who was still covered by her covers, stepped outside of the cabin to see the horror.

Hinagiku was on the ground, a large wound starting from his shoulder and down to his gut. He was lying in his own blood and was emobile. Shuno cried out before rushing to her brother.

"No!" Tsubaki called after her. But it was too late. With inhuman speed, a black figure appeared in front of the blond gypsy and without warning, shoved a long, shining sword into her stomach. She coughed up blood and was thrown away.

"SHUNO!!!!" Lily called in horror. Tsubaki cursed again and quickly grabbed whatever he could from the cabin to use as a weapon. His family followed his example.

"Show yourself!" he called.

And they did.

The pirates surrounded the group in hushed and deadly silence. Even though there were only 9, they made themselves look outnumbering. They looked menacing and brutal. Their eyes shown blood red against the blackness surrounding their form. The gypsies were shocked.

"Oh my gosh…" Baigon commented, his eyes wide. "Th-They're…"

"Wh-what do you want!" Tsubaki questioned, loudly and angrily.

The only response was the crowd of devilish man advancing in a dangerous way towards the weapon-equipped gypsies. A battle broke out as Inoue began to come to.

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Grimmjow had easily broken away from the group and was now circling the torn down carriage in front of him. Ulquiorra was no were to be scene and he could hear the mini war going on between him and the gypsies. Poor suckers don't stand a chance. But where was that damn Ulquiorra!? Could he really handle the vessel of a superpower all by himself?

The teal eyed man growled before lunging into the vehicle's entrance. It was dark and smelled like melted iron. Ripped velvet and silk hung from the pieces of broken wood sticking out from all ends of the ride. He sure hoped that the heir to Heaven's Light hadn't been stabbed by these death stakes. That would be way to troublesome for Grimmjow to take.

It was a small bus so it didn't take him long to search all its corners. Thanks to the moon light outside peeking in, it made it easier for him to spot the slouched figure of a human. Their body was curled and covered in something that resembled a tattered blanket. The power of the two combined forces emitted from that person and Grimmjow could feel it energy pulse through him like hot magma. His breathing became jagged as he inched his way closer and closer to the vessel. He knelt down and slowly, as if the human container was a priceless porcelain doll, removed the covers from their body.

They shivered in response. At least the person was alive.

Grimmjow came closer to the person, as he slid his arms around their neck and body. It was then he realized the vessel was in fact a woman, as his hand brushed her right breast. He smiled in content. Thank goodness. The girl was on her side was it was a little difficult to lift her up, but he managed with his strength. In the process of getting up, her body fell against his and tumbles of hair tickled his clothed arm. It hid her face and in the moonlight, her hair looked a bright red. Grimmjow pulled her closer, sniffing the perfume the covered her. It was a nice lavender scent.

Suddenly, she began to struggle against his grip and he looked down to see her eyes tightly shut and her eyebrows knitted like she was having a bad dream. She groaned and pushed against his large form. He held her tighter and she let out a grunt of disapproval. She pushed harder.

"No…" she whined, her eyes starting to open.

"Dammit, stop that!" Grimmjow hissed, trying to reposition her. She was outstretching her hands so much, he thought he would drop her.

Yet she continued to rebel till she was finally wide awake and conscious of her actions. Looking up, her gleaming, familiar grey eyes met with those of the man's cold teal eyes.

A second of realization passed her before she shrieked and forced herself to drop from his arms. His face twisted in anger at her reaction but she kicked against him and pushed towards the hole in the carriage that he had entered. She only made it bigger, putting her weight on it. More light came through and then Grimmjow could see her perfectly.

The rays of the white moon echoed against her curved body and folded clothes. Her frightened eyes gleamed like a deer caught in headlights and he could see her physically shiver against the broken wood. Her breathing was audible and her pale skin shinned with sweat and its natural aura. She looked the same as he last saw her.

Grimmjow's angry expression transitioned to confusion then to eagerness. A dangerous smile etched his face as he brought himself closer to the light and therefore to her.

"Well, well, well. We meet again, huh gypsy?" he chuckled lightly. "Gonna dance for me?"

"You…" she whispered, finally recognizing the male. The cold, blue eyes were a dead give away.

"Aw you remembered me" he chuckled. Grimmjow advanced more and Inoue backed off even further. "Don't be scared. I'm just going to take you to a nice safe pirate ship."

Fate chose that time for Orihime to trip on the end of the hole implanted on the side of the carriage. She came tumbling down and Grimmjow attacked in her vulnerable state. He pinned her arms to the dirty soil ground outside. She struggled and screeched, and hoped her knees and legs would do what her arms couldn't. But he was much stronger then her and overpowered in a few seconds. Orihime breathed hard. She was exhausted. The mix of her sickness as well as defending herself hurt her entire body. Tears stung her eyelids.

"Now, let's not make this more difficult then it should be" he continued to coo, bringing his face closer to her own. Inoue turned her head to the side and squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his breath against her neck and up to her ear. His giggle was pure evil.

"Yum" Grimmjow kissed the tender neck beneath him, feeling the pulse of her heartbeat and the flow of her blood under his lips. "You have know idea how _special_ you are, sweetie."

Orihime couldn't take it. She felt disgusted by the man practically molesting her. She could feel on hand beginning to descended on her right breast and she jerked from his touches and mocking kisses.

"D-D-Don't touch me…" she hissed, though she was completely frightened.

For a response, Grimmjow kissed her jaw line and up. He licked the salty tears away and growled seductively in her ear. "Make me stop" he challenged, pushing his body against hers. She truly was a beauty to behold and he felt like going all the way right then and there. Which was odd cause he wasn't in a kinky mood.

However, his current mood soon soured when he could sense the energy of his emo-like crewmate coming closer to the two.

Jerking back with lightening speed, the teal eyed man managed to drag himself and Inoue off the ground. Yet he still held her in a vice grip over her wrist. She was surprised at his quickness and didn't react in time to notice another figure standing a few paces away from her. When she untangled her auburn hair, fear pulsed through her once again. The new guy's emerald green eyes seemed to bore into her very soul. He had his hands behind his back.

"Grimmjow…" his voice was low and deadly. Inoue shifted back, even though he wasn't talking to her.

"Ulquiorra" the teal-eyed man greeted back with an air of frustration, "here's your little princess" Grimmjow jerked Orihime towards the other man. She stumbled on her uneasy feet and refused to look at the pale man once again. He scared her in a more predatorily way. Grimmjow was just savage.

"Do not try and escape" the raven haired man said, grabbing Orihime's shoulder roughly. "Do not fight back. You will come with us without rejection. Do not try to signal your companions."

Grimmjow scoffed, "they're probably dead already"

Inoue spun around quickly as much as she can in Ulquiorra's grip and stared at Grimmjow in disbelief. He was joking right? Her family…they were tough. They wouldn't die so easily. Could they? Inoue almost collapsed if it weren't for Ulquiorra holding her up.

"Understand this," the green-eyed male began, uncaring of Inoue's unresponsiveness, "if you refuse to cooperate with us, we will do you harm. You will not be killed but punished. If your family members are still alive, we will threaten their lives. Come with us"

Orihime perked up a little and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to cry. Not in front of these men.

"Ok…" she whispered.

With that, the trio set out towards the sky, where the rising orange sun beat down on the ruined carriage.

99999999999999999999999

**Ok, I got them to meet. Here's were the real action begins. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for all the reviews, everyone!**

666666666666666666

Tsubaki growled as his arm was gripped harshly. A buff, ugly looking man pulled the gypsy male to his feet and shoved him into the tree. Tsubaki gave a groan of pain and his breath hitch as he was tossed to the ground. Wounds flowing with blood and bruises as dark as crows littered his body. He felt like he couldn't move anything. His eyes sought out his other family members whom had been beaten just like him and possibly killed. But the man in front of him, who was kicking him now, blocked his view, and all he could do was curse under his breath.

"Better keep him alive" another man joined Tsubaki's assaulter. In the light of the sun, his eyes were no longer red but violet. He looked down at the gypsy. "Aizen-sama would want him as bait"

Tsubaki's attacker grinned down at him. "Or a punching bag."

Tsubaki coughed up a bit of blood and was pulled, roughly, back on his feet. He couldn't even stand up properly. But now at least he could see who of his family members were still alive.

Thankfully, mostly everyone was. Shuno, however, was left for dead, and Hinagiku, immobile in another assaulter's arms.

90909

_Author: K, peoples, heads up. I just realized Shuno is a dude, not a chick XD_

09090

"What do we do with this one?" an attacker with bright orange hair asked, nudging Shuno's face with his foot. Tsubaki wanted to kill him.

"His blood's ruined. Just leave him here for the dogs" the violet-eyed man called before turning back to Tsubaki's attacker. He cocked his head as if to point at the black-haired gypsy. "Pick him up. Obviously he can't walk. Tie him up with the others."

Tsubaki winced and felt like vomiting from the pain. He was again roughly pulled and pushed against the sweating and shivering bodies of his family members. Ayame was crying over Shuno. The gypsies had their wrists tied to one another, securely, and were led away from the wreckage. One man carried Hinagiku.

The group head out through a short cut in the woods.

888888888888888

Grimmjow, Orihime and Ulquiorra had already made it out of the forest by the time morning came. They began to approach the ship which was still hidden in shadows and some sort of magic. That's what Inoue thought at least. She hadn't realized the ship until Ulquiorra whispered something under his breath. The next time she blinked, there it was, looming over them like an over grown shadow. It was white though, which was ironic. Orihime gasped at it's size, and at the aura it was emitting. She wasn't sure how she could, but she sensed the ship's being, as if it were a live human. And it was not a good feeling. She shivered again, internally, and was somewhat shoved by Grimmjow forward.

A ladder suddenly scaled down the ship's side and to the aid of the two men and the woman. Ulquiorra grabbed it and placed a foot on the first step. He looked back at Grimmjow.

"She goes second," he said. The other nodded.

Ulquiorra then hitched himself up and began to climb.

"Your turn next, Gypsy" Grimmjow grinned, patting Inoue's behind in a mocking manner. She gritted her teeth, and stepped away from his groping to grab the ladder. She hurried herself up, not trusting turning her back on the perverted male. Whom she could sense was leering at her now.

Once all three were on board, she could see now why she had such a harsh feeling for the ship. On deck, at least 100 men were surrounding them, all dressed in baggy clothing, with markings on their face, arms and/or legs. They all shared one thing though. The animalistic look in their eyes that she say in both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. Inoue quickly had a feeling that these men were not ordinary pirates. Grimmjow scratched the back of his head lazily as Ulquiorra stepped forward, back straight.

Suddenly the other pirates started to make way for one man, severing themselves into two groups.

The man whom they made space for stepped close to Ulquiorra and smiled. Inoue was a bit surprised, as she felt this man was actually quite different from the others. He didn't have any markings or danger in him. His eyes were a soft chocolate colour as his hair was a darker shade of brown, sliced back. One perfect strand lay astray on his forehead. He was tall and a bit buff but not like Grimmjow. He had an aura of pride and respect.

"This is the container," it was more of a statement then a question, as he eyed Inoue who perked. His eyes bore into her and she blushed a bit.

"Yes" Ulquiorra answered. The other nodded and made his way in front of Inoue. He bowed slightly, touching the tip of his large brimmed blue hat which lay on his head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss" he said in a voice like honey. Inoue blushed more and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She could've sworn she heard snickering from the crowd. "My name is Aizen Sosuke. I am captain of this ship. What might you name be?"

"O-Orihime…Inoue" she couldn't meet his eyes now. His politeness sort of scared her and made her nervous. She didn't miss the strange look that passed through his eyes. Almost like amusment.

"Please don't be scared. All will be explained. Come with me." He now looked at both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. "You men may follow me, too. Everyone else, please return to your rooms."

"Sir" a voice spoke out. Everyone now turned to see another man had come on board. Orihime blinked, completely taken off guard. Everyone else looked bored.

A tall, skinny man with long blonde hair and brown eyes stood at attention.

"Ilforte" Aizen said.

"We have the prisoners."

The captain nodded. Orihime raised an eyebrow. Prisoners?

"You know were to put them" Aizen nodded, turning to Orihime again and smiling warmly. "Please come along now"

With that, he turned slowly and began to walk to a large brown cabin at the side of the ship. Ulquiorra followed with Grimmjow trailing behind Inoue. The other pirates made way for them. Inoue didn't want to look at their faces as she could sense them staring at her with something that wasn't hatred but wasn't sympathy either.

The three followed Aizen as he opened the cabin's door and walked down narrow steps.

8888888888888888

After they completely disappeared under deck, all the pirates began to mumble to themselves. It wasn't apparent to the human girl, but they were all tense and uncomfortable with her. It was cause of the energy she was surrounded in. It filled them with something close to fear and resentment. They all began to stretch out their muscles and breath calmly again.

Ilforte looked down and signalled for the other's to come up.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow wanted to mask themselves from Inoue for as long as they could. But the honest truth? The ladder wasn't needed at all.

In one quick, almost lazy-like jump, the eight pirates, along with the gypsy they carried scaled the ship's side and landed on deck gracefully. Their prisoners were shocked by their leg power and strength. They hadn't even broken a sweat after carrying at least 300 pounds up a 9 foot ship with no assitance. It was frightening to say the least.

"Aizen-sama has accepted. Put the prisoners in their cells" the blonde said and turned from the group.

Unlike Inoue, the pirates were not affected in any way by the other gypsies. Some followed orders and went back to their rooms, now bored. Others stayed on deck to get some fresh others. And the rest smiled and chuckled at the quality of the torn and bruised gypsies.

"Don't touch them" Ilforte said to those who mocked the prisoners. "Aizen-sama's orders."

One man growled at the blonde, but they were already told not to touch them anyways.

The eight pirates proceeded to shove the gypsies along, towards their prison.

7777777777777777777

"I am sure you are frightened now, and you have every right to be" Aizen said, sliding himself into his seat and leaning onto his large table which was littered with maps, compasses, feather pens, an ink bottle and a globe.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were station on the walls across from Aizen's desk, their backs to the wall. Ulquiorra stood up straight, his, hands folded behind him. Grimmjow, on the other hand, leaned on the wall and folded his arms. Both their faces were expressionless this time.

Orihime was put in the middle, her small form a scary comparison to the other men.

Grimmjow decided to give a small sneer to Aizen's comment. The captain had pointed out the obvious, which was annoying.

"But I can assure you, no one will touch you"

_That isn't what I'm scared off_, Orihime though, biting her lip. "Why…am I here?"

Aizen shot a look at his crew before returning to Inoue.

"It's quite complicated and I do not want you to bear such heavy information" he leaned back on his chair, "however, I will explain a bit. I am not trying to hide anything."

Grimmjow was getting more and more annoyed by Aizen's politeness. Why couldn't he just get it over with.

And Aizen did. In a way. He shot into a shorter version of the story he mentioned to Grimmjow. The only part he spoke about was the Weaver Princess's history and the Hougyoku. By the end, Grimmjow had a bit of satisfaction to see the priceless, confused face of the human vessel. He was behind her so he couldn't exactly tell what was painted on her face, but he could see her straighten up and become suddenly tense. The muscles in her jaw extracted, betraying her gaping mouth. Only Aizen could see her wide, grey eyes stare at him with so much mixed emotions. In one quick moment, she cupped her hands to her chest. She felt like she couldn't breath now. The room suffocated her.

"S-So you mean…she existed? The Weaver Princess?" Inoue whispered slightly. Aizen nodded.

"Yes. And you are her descendant. Your given name is quite fitting" he grinned.

Orihime was shaking now. The impossible information leeked into her brain and made her even more confused. She felt dizzy now. But in a way, it made sense. What she had held in her hands, the Hougyoku, was a dangerous entity.

"B-But…I don't have it…anymore. It disappeared" she managed to say.

Aizen cocked in a delicate eyebrow. "It didn't disappear. It is inside you. It has become one with it's other half. Now your powers are balanced."

"Powers?"

"You don't think your whole misshape with the object was for nothing right? You have inherited your descendant's powers. You have powers that defy realms of the impossible. Who knows what you can do if you can master the power"

Inoue gripped her wrists more. "What do you want with it then?"

Aizen chuckled a bit. It was low and friendly but still frightened Orihime.

"That will be explained in due time. Right now, I am sure you are tired and confused. Grimmjow," Aizen looked up at the blue haired pirate. He looked back "you may take Miss Inoue to your room now"

Orihime was stricken with horror, thoughts of the information she was given disappearing as Aizen sprung yet another unpleasant surprise.

Grimmjow nodded and held the faintest of smiles.

"W-What!?" Orihime cried a bit.

Aizen looked down on her and smiled. "For now, you will remain in Grimmjow's care. He can provide you with safety until the other crew members recognize their rightful place in front of you."

Inoue didn't believe the reason one bit. But she had no choice. The look in Aizen's eyes did not reflect on his sweet smile at all. She was being ordered. Biting her lip, she mentally shivered, thinking about the dangerous of being even 5 feet close to the monstrous pirate.

"You're all excused" Aizen nodded and turned with finality, sitting himself back down. Ulquiorra now looked at Orihime with fieriness.

"Up" he commanded. Orihime followed. Once again, Ulquiorra went first, her second and Grimmjow first. She could sense him looking at her again and it made her more uncomfortable by the minute.

When they got up to the deck, Orihime missed the tension that fell on the pirates still wondering the wide area. They all had stopped whatever they were doing and suddenly tensed up. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra noticed this. Ulquiorra whispered something into Grimmjow's ear before nodding to Inoue and leaving the two alone.

"Well, princess" Grimmjow finally commented, stretching himself, and grinning wildly to Orihime. "Looks like we're going to be roommates"

She squeezed her eyes shut and refused to look at him, even as he lightly pushed her towards a flight of stairs leading down to the cabins.

7777777777777777

**School's starting! It makes me so regret not getting more updates in…oh well…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for waiting guys! Trying to whiz by these updates!**

5555555555555

Orihime straightened her dirty, purple skirt so that it covered below her knees and folded her legs up. Her head lay against the slightly wet wall behind the rough bed she sat on. Her eyes began to fluttery closed, but she was too scared to get any kind of sleep, even a small nap. Her hands were wrapped together and she shivered slightly at the cold.

It was a pretty bleak and poorly lit room, that wasn't too big or too small. It seemed big enough to hold at least 15 people. A sink was latched on the opposite wall, and a darker coloured door was beside it. Probably the bathroom. Hooks were indented beside the front door of the room, and the covers of the rather large bed were a light grey colour. Only two bulbs on the ceiling shed the light. Other then those, there were no windows and it almost seemed like nighttime when she knew it was still in the afternoon.

Inoue had been too frightened at Grimmjow leading her to his room to notice the route they took. If she knew how to get back up onto the deck, she would have gone right after Grimmjow left her. She wanted to know if her family was safe or not. She didn't believe they were dead, and held onto that faith. She wondered who would be willing to give her the right information though.

Orihime suddenly perked as the door across from her swung open and in walked Grimmjow, his towering form almost causing him to hit his head on the top door frame. He had a steaming bowl of something yellow in his hands. He gave her a quick, large smile before kicking the door closed, and throwing himself onto his bed beside her. Orihime retracted immediately, not looking at him. She brought her knees up and hid her head.

"Peek-a-boo" Grimmjow cackled. Orihime bit her lip. "I brought something for ya ta eat."

The woman could now smell the odour of whatever was in the man's hands. It was a spicy scent, which made her eyes water slightly. But frankly…

"I'm not hungry," she grumbled, not looking up. She heard the bed creek a bit and felt Grimmjow inching closer to her. The tip of the bowl was pressed against her exposed arms.

"Come on now. Don't be like that." She could hear the smile in his voice and squeezed herself away from him more. "It's good for you. And I'm sure yer hungry after…everything."

Orihime really wanted to just hit the man. Or at least the bowl. But then that would make him angry and that was the last thing Inoue needed. She slowly looked up. Grimmjow _had_ come closer, almost to the point that he would just need to lean over a little for their foreheads to touch. Inoue's head banged against the headboard of the bed, and she glared a bit at Grimmjow. He just smiled back, something glinting behind his eyes.

Inoue looked down at the substance in front of her. The spicy smell made her want to sneeze. She took the silver spoon already in it, picked up a bit of the yellow soup, and put it into her mouth. She immediately started to cough, whatever was in it making her throat contrast, as if a rash had built up in there. How much pepper was used!?

After her coughing fit, Orihime looked up to see Grimmjow laughing. He wasn't laughing too hard, cause the soup wasn't spilling but enough for Inoue to see he was enjoying her little action. She frowned deeply, put the spoon into the bowl and looked away, this time turning her whole body around so that Grimmjow was face with her right side.

"Aw come on! It was pretty damn funny!" the man whined slightly, obviously still chuckling under his breath. "Your face was so red! Kinda like it is now…"

Inoue looked away, preferring to glare at the damp wall. She wasn't going to let him keep making fun of her. She heard him put the bowl down somewhere, maybe on the floor, and lean against her, his heavy body crushing her. Orihime turned around to tell him to get off when she stopped, mouth open, to meet with the sight of two sharp, pearly white teeth gleaming against the yellow light of the bulb above. Her breath hitching.

Grimmjow chuckled. "I'm a bit hungry, personally" he whispered, and leaned down nipping the sensitive skin on the woman's neck. She was too shocked to respond and too frightened to even move. Grimmjow took the little opportunity to suckle on the skin, probably leaving a red mark or two on her peach skin. His gloved hand shot out, grabbing onto the wall, trapping Orihime between the corner of two walls and his body. To his delight, she backed up right against the corner. This gave him much more space to surround her.

"W-What…" she breathed, shaking, but not because of the cold. Looking down at her, Grimmjow smirked, letting his teeth show. He chuckled again, his voice husky.

"Just relax."

Licking his lips, he swooped back down onto her neck and nipped again, harder. Orihime jerked back from this, breathing ragged and her heart beating fast. She grabbed onto his massive shoulders, and tried effortlessly to get him off.

This was just too unreal!

Grimmjow's mouth traveled from her burning neck, down to her collarbone, and shifted her white T-shirt away, revealing more skin.

"S-Stop!" she shouted, now trying to kick him. Grimmjow managed to lick a bit of the skin in between her breasts before Orihime took a desperate initiative, and bit down on his right ear.

The man quickly stopped and jumped back, unlatching himself from Orihime and almost falling over the bed. He looked at her, anger flaring up in his eyes. Whatever was there before had vanished and Inoue was frightened more now.

"Bitch" he hissed, his hand flying, grabbing onto the very neck he had been biting lovingly just a few seconds ago. "Touch me there again, and I'll rip your head off!"

If she could, Inoue would have swallowed in fright. But his grip was almost chocking, and she grabbed onto his hands, trying to pry it off. She didn't have to try for long because he let go a little after his threat. Inoue toppled over, coughing again.

She didn't see when he had spun around, but when she looked up again, Grimmjow was already opening the wooden door.

"Finish yer damn lunch," he growled, without turning to look at her. He walked outside, slamming the door behind him roughly, leaving a confused and a bit dizzy Orihime.

2222222222222

Rubbing his ear roughly all the way up, Grimmjow gritted his teeth in frustration and forced the blush creeping on his face down. How dare that fucking bitch bit him _there_!? At least he had made sure that was an off-limits place. For some reason, he was ridiculously sensitive there and he hated that simple and easy weakness. He had really intended to kill Orihime right then and there, but he thought better of it, only because Aizen would kill him.

And he was so close from getting his own snack, too.

Grimmjow breathed in and out, calming himself, as he walked up towards the deck. Outside, it was still sunny, thought the Sun was farther down the horizon as the afternoon came and went. There was no one but Ilforte up on the deck, and the blonde was steering again. But this time, Ilforte did notice Grimmjow coming up onto the deck and towards the big wooden wheel Ilforte was controlling. He sensed the mood of his real leader quickly.

"What happened? Did the princess reject you or something?"

"Fuck yourself, Ilforte" the man growled, looking out onto the sea. He forced the smell of salt and the noise of the waves crashing against the bow to calm him down.

"That would be hard to do." The blonde chuckled a little, but was careful. His leader was definitely not in a good mood, even with the smallest of jokes. However, Grimmjow's aura shifted absently, and he looked at the other man with the last remnants of anger. His face had softened, having been tight with fury a few second ago.

"It's probably not impossible. As long as yer dick's long enough, that is." Now Grimmjow was smiling. Ilforte breathed out in relief.

"You have no problem then."

Grimmjow threw back his head and laughed aloud. His booming voice rattled the fence around them, separating the small deck for the steering wheel from the rest of the larger deck.

"Fucker."

The two watched the sun disappearing against the horizon silently. Grimmjow leaned against the wheel, making it a bit difficult for Ilforte to spin it, but he didn't mind. He hated this job, especially in the morning. A visit from Grimmjow or one of his fellow comrades following the blue haired male was the highlight of his day up here. The water ahead was coloured red and yellow, as the last specks of the sun settled down. This sank the deck into a shallow darkness.

"We imprisoned the rest of her gypsy pals," Ilforte finally said, looking at Grimmjow. The other didn't look back but he did smile.

"Really, now? Bet she doesn't even know." This somehow made Grimmjow feel powerful again, against the woman. He had some information she must be dieing to get. His mind reeled with how he could use it to his advantage.

"Did ya have a taste of her yet?" Ilforte asked. This sort of soured Grimmjow's mood suddenly, but he fought back against the feeling.

"Naw, not yet. Bitch is so defensive" he leaned his head back against the wheel, and looked up. "Nice fuckin' body, though."

Their laughter echoed over the whole ship as the last remaining light vanished.

44444444444444

Inoue had stood staring at the door, which had shaken after the force of it's closing, for a bit. Then she adjusted her shirt, which was ripped a little, so that her collarbone was hidden again, and leaned against the wall again. The silence was almost defining. She wondered why she couldn't even hear anyone in the hallway. When she had first arrived, the amount of men, and some women, on the deck was almost infinite. She was she should be hearing some shuffling from other rooms or something. Unless Grimmjows' room was sound proof, which didn't look like the case.

Orihime sighed. She was so tired. She felt like collapsing right there on the bed, sleeping for long hours. But she didn't trust herself being unconscious if a perverted and maybe still mad Grimmjow came back in. She was hungry, though, and eyed the hot soup on the floor. It would turn cool quickly, and anything spicy and cold was never good. She leaned down, grabbed the bowl and brought it to her lap. She picked up the spoon and gulped down the burning liquid. Getting past the rough part of it, the soup was actually very good. It sort of resembled Shunpo's own pepper and slat soup that he made when one of them were sick.

Remembering her Gypsy family, Inoue gulped down the last bit of soup slowly. She wondered, again, where they were. Had they managed to escape? She certainly hoped so, but doubted it. If the men attacking them were even half as strong or fast as Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, she knew they were doomed. So were they…

No. Her family was tougher than that!

Inoue placed the cool bowl on the ground and slid down so she lay against the bed, looking right up at the ceiling. It was dark except for the yellow splotches where light from the bulbs were at. She sighed, and forced herself to stay awake.

Even if she wasn't going to sleep, she had the right to at least lye down. After all, this was her room for awhile now.

2222222222222222222

"How is she?" Aizen asked, his calm and cool voice unwavering. The man picked up a book at the top of a pile on his desk, brushed off some dust, and placed it back onto the pile again. It had a golden flap attached to it and it looked ancient. Aizen sat himself on the seat next to the large table and eyed the pirate in front of him curiously.

Grimmjow looked back, annoyed. He had just been on his way back to his room, more likely to mess with the gypsy woman again, when Aizen, behind his room's door, had gestured for him to come in. And for what? A statis report.

"She's fine" the pirate shot back.

Aizen nodded. "Is she eating properly?"

"Probably."

"I see…" the Pirate Lord traced his fingers over the large golden globe at the corner of his desk. He smiled warmly but his eyes were cold.

"Is that it?" Grimmjow asked. "If so, I'm outta here!"

"Grimmjow" his leader's voice called, just as the man was about to turn away from him.

"What?"

"Try to be a little friendly with Ms. Inoue."

Grimmjow spun around, surprised, disbelief playing into his looks.

Aizen just stared at him. "Try to become close to her, is basically what I am indicating. If she feels safe with a friend here, she will be restricted easily. She is that kind of person."

"But I'm not" Grimmjow growled. "I don't want to be her damn friend, or anything!"

Aizen's normally warm eyes hardened again into black coals. "It won't be that hard. Try, at least."

Sighing, and not wanting to get on his leader's bad side this time, Grimmjow sneered once before turned and stalking off.

Aizen watched the sulking man, with a knowing and calculating smile on his face.

2222222222222

**Finished in one day! Record breaking! Anyways, any new ideas? Please tell me!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Jeez, took such a ridiculous amount of time in updating. I hate exams so much…**

4444444444444444

When he stepped into his room, the fist thing Grimmjow spotted was the empty bowl placed a little messily on the red tray and stained with yellow spots that hadn't been eaten. Beside it lay the glittering silver spoon, it's colour duller then most of the other spoons in the kitchen. Grimmjow squinted his eyes through the darkness and saw the limp figure of the woman scrunched up onto the grey, furry covers of his bed. She looked sound asleep, auburn hair wild against the white pillow, her legs up, her arms under her hanging head. Her big grey eyes were closed and sealed by sensitive lids. She hadn't seemed to have heard Grimmjow and the male closed the door silently. He was suddenly annoyed but did nothing to wake the girl.

Instead, he sat himself beside the long and skinny bed. The light bulbs above caste long shadows against the wet walls. Grimmjow noted to himself to get those fixed so there was better light in here. He didn't want to become totally immune to the light of the sun outside. Grimmjow looked down beside him and touched the cool edge of the finished meal, before looking up at the woman sleeping. He growled to himself and looked over at the string that dangled near him, leading up to the two light bulbs. Frowning, the male reached up, and pulled hard on the string, shrouding himself, Inoue and his room in total darkness.

00000000000000000

When he woke up, Grimmjow was too tired to be as pissed as he was before. He noticed that he had taken to sleeping leaning against the post of his bed while Orihime, who has uncurled herself at some point during the night and lay flat on the bed, slept soundly, her hair even more tangled then it was before and one hand planted on the pillow softly. Grimmjow scratched his head and brought his knees up ever so slightly. He checked the woman out then, noting curves and revealed skin with renowned interest. It was only when memories from yesterday came back did his mood sour once again and his blue eyes grow deep.

_Try to be a little friendly with Ms. Inoue_

What the hell Aizen!? Either his captain was taunting him or he was up to something. Grimmjow knew his leader understood his nature and being friends with someone was definitely not apart of it. The pirate racked his mind, looking for an answer to the strange turn of events. He didn't want to mean anything to the woman. She was annoying. All he really wanted to do was fuck if he wanted to put it bluntly. And he did. And he knew she knew what he wanted and fought against him more because of it. Grimmjow never liked difficult sex toys. He always won over them in the end of course but it was too troublesome. Why couldn't they understand and accept their fates?

But what the hell was he supposed to do? Disobey Aizen? He'd done it once before, and planned surely never to do it again. That man was a monster no matter what he said, did or dressed in. Grimmjow outwardly shivered at the last memory he had of an unlucky buck who had wandered off the ship late at night while the pirates docked, which was clearly against the rules of the _Hueco Mundo_. Aizen took care in showing everyone else, Grimmjow included, what happen to one who disobeys the captain's orders. The pirate shook his head from these thoughts and glared at the woman's form. Was she going to be the death of him?

Inoue looked completely comfortable and rid of any problems. Time to ruin her dreams.

Raising one hand, Grimmjow grasped her clothed hip, eyeing her lower regions for just a second, and shook the woman out of her slumber. It took a few harsh shakes and some hissing but her ears finally perked and her eyelids smoothed up before they were unlocked, her grey eyes dilated a little and coming back to focus. Grimmjow etched his mouth into a thin line as Orihime blinked back tears of sleep and rubbed her eyes lazily, her vision still difficult as she shortly forgot where she was. It took only a minute for her to lock onto Grimmjow's ice-cold eyes before she jumped up, rushing to her 'safety' area against the corner in a tumbling clumsiness. She was breathing hard, her face flushed by the sudden wake up call, and Grimmjow was getting less interested in her frightened deer attitude.

_If only all I had to do was break her_, he thought angrily. _This would be so much more enjoyable_. It wasn't like Grimmjow was totally oblivious to the way some of the other pirates on the deck were looking at Inoue, eyeing her hungrily like she was fresh meat they were dying to sink their teethes into. Nnoitra especially looked savagely. Grimmjow knew what kind of bragging rights he had with such a gypsy forced to live in his cabin. But now he suddenly wanted to hand over the stupid responsibility to anyone else.

The pirate sighed and grabbed the woman's arm, which she had snaked around her shoulders as some sort of useless shield. She whimpered as the iron grip of the large hand clutched her roughly. She fought back, shouting at him to let go, but Grimmjow just kept yanking and soon Orihime was on her feet, the cold floor hitting her warm nerves hard. She staggered but Grimmjow refused to catch her, forcing her to walk with him as he opened the door and they entered the hallway.

"Wh-Where are you taking me!?" she asked in a shaky but strong tone. The brighter lights outside blinded her for just a second but Grimmjow wasted no time dragging her through the hallway at a speed she couldn't seem to be keeping up with. Her muscles were tense under his hand and he only scowled at her resistance. Orihime herself was shocked at the change of attitude into the pirate. He couldn't still be mad at her for biting him?! That was just ridiculous.

"Shut up and walk faster," he answered coldly, earning a too-weak glare from Orihime who continued to try and gain a patterned pace behind the taller male. They made it through one corridor and turned a sharp left into a wider that looked and smelled better then the one they just exited. She managed to look around her. Only a few doors littered the walls. She could only draw the conclusion that this may be one of the main halls under the deck of the ship. Inoue wondered why Grimmjow had taken her here. She got her answer soon as she was suddenly dragged up a long spiral of stairs, reaching to a crooked and chipped doorway, fruitlessly painted black and red. Grimmjow tore the door open and the smell of something burning caught against her nose.

Orihime could only gasp and stutter at the sight before her. Pots and pans were clattered everywhere, even on the floor, and patches of less-than-edible food was streamed all around. The walls were coated in something yellow and she caught herself before slipping on some spilt liquid. She could feel the stickiness of it caught between her bare toes and for the first time in a long time, Inoue wished for some sort of footwear. Grimmjow was now taking her to a loose but sturdy table. With a gesture of his head, Inoue took the hint and sat down at the only chair pushed against the furniture. Freed from his grip and stare, Inoue curled her shoulders in, pushed loose hair back and looked down at her folded hands. They were white with cold.

The room was warm, however, with the numerous ovens steaming with heat, and Grimmjow made his way to the counter were a large cupboard was overhead. He reached and pulled the doors of the compartment open, bringing down two nearly full bags. One containing flour and the other with something else white and sugary, which Inoue could only guess was baking powder as she noticed some spill out of the bags. Grimmjow cursed under his breath and threw the heavy bundles on the counter, making a loud, deep sound as the materials hit the iron counter. He pulled open drawers and brought out spoons and a fork. Orihime blinked, her eyes watching his every movement as he took plates and cups from boxes near the wall. She was a bit surprised by this all.

"Are you making breakfast?" she asked, her voice small and curt with the flickering of the fire in the ovens around her. It was absurd to say it since the man didn't seem liking the cooking type to her but he grunted and finally turned from his work. He scratched the collar of his white shirt and slid of the black jackets that hung from his shoulders.

"Yeah, so?"

Orihime pressed her lips together and allowed him to get back to work. He was making something she had never seen before and her curiosity made her get up and look over his shoulder. He placed the white powders inside a bowl along with some eggs, milk and butter which he measured as accurately as possible. He made small noises when he noticed how slippery everything looked together in the bowl and added another cup of flour. Taking a spoon, the pirate mixed the stuff up and looked over to see Inoue staring intently at him. If he wasn't so tired he may have cracked a smile at the close proximity between him and her body. She didn't seem to notice the leer that flickered in and out of his eyes as she was busy memorizing what he was doing.

"What's up?" he asked. She looked at him and flushed a bit, stepping back.

"What're you making?"

"Pancakes."

She blinked and looked at him. The light from the fire next to her gave her normally peach skin an orange glow and lit her grey eyes to blue. "What's that?"

Now he blinked at her. "You never had pancakes before?"

"I've never heard of such a thing."

He laughed and she narrowed her eyebrows. Grimmjow paused in his stirring and cocked his head to the side, humour having returned to his system. "Well consider this your lucky day," he winked which Orihime rolled her eyes a little too. He went back to stirring, smiling as he did. "Lemme tell ya, chick. I make some mean pancakes."

And he really did. Orihime was amazed, to say the least, as the process of making the food and the end results of it. She had never used a homemade oven before so watching the sloppy mixture turn into fluffy, brown flat circles was an experience all on its own. She tried not to show her excitement but failed as Grimmjow chuckled at her wide eyes. She unconsciously licked her lips at the sweet smell when the sugar was added and in response, Grimmjow licked his own lips but for a completely different reason. When it was served, Orihime hadn't realized just how hungry she was. The minute it was in front of her, she grabbed the offered fork and knife from Grimmjow and quickly took a ripped off piece of the bread-like breakfast. Putting it in her mouth, her eyes widened even more and she chewed furiously.

"W-Wow!" she exclaimed aloud though it wasn't supposed to come out. She flushed again and took another piece happily. Grimmjow watched her, his hands holding up his leaning head. His eyes were lazy and his smile floppy, enjoying the sight for some reason. Her crumpled clothing gave him something to stare at for a little while but his eyes kept managing to come back to her face, her cheeks red now from the heat and not white like before when she was fighting him off. Her eyes were shimmering and her mouth had pieces of pancake stuck around it. He wanted to laugh but held it in. Her expression was very familiar to him and he recognized it as the face she made when he first watched his little gypsy dance. He wondered if he could have her dance for him in private.

"Want more?" he asked, after she was done two pieces in record time. Grimmjow didn't think he had ever seen anyone gulp down two pancakes in such a short period of time. He wondered what kind of power her stomach possessed. She looked up at him, now remembering who he was, and shook her head, looking away, her eyes downcast once again. Grimmjow shrugged and turned, walking to the sink to put the plates in.

"Are you going to eat?" she asked, turning in her seat a bit, still not making eye contact with her capture.

"No hungry," he answered. She nodded and stayed quiet.

333333333333333

Outside, the sun was just about to meet the dyed sky. Above, seagulls chanted in an annoying tune and the water glittered like beads of diamonds were encrusted in it. The swaying of the waves rocked the heavy ship slightly but not too much that they could feel it. The flapping of the sails against the wet wind was calming to any sailor or pirate. But to Orihime, it was a bit sickening. She grabbed her temple and squeezed her eyes shut as Grimmjow led her, once again roughly, up another long flight of stairs and onto the sun-kissed deck. Her feet were warmed up once again and he warms were grazed with bars of gold from the awakening warmth. Above, pirates were already strolling around but only a few. Some where high above, on the platforms attached to the railings, looking out at into the distance. Others were kneeling on the rails, chatting or being sultrily quiet. A blonde was twisting a large wheel back and forth, controlling the ship.

Grimmjow made his way, one arm quickly around the woman's shoulder, to the boy, a knowing smile on his face.

"Morning, Ilforte!" Grimmjow called and the blonde quickly turned around, grinning at the voice of his leader. However, this grin faltered a little when he saw the woman, who looked quite uncomfortable with the arm on her, trailing behind Grimmjow. Almost immediately, some sort of force from her, that made him growl and glare, hit Ilforte. He really didn't want to be around Orihime suddenly.

"Yo, Grimmjow" the blonde said but his steady eyes were on Inoue who looked at him, at his glazed light blue eyes, and looked away. Some other pirates noticed her presence and looked over at her, their eyes just as emotionlessly scary as Ilforte's.

"Had a good sleep?" Grimmjow continued, noting the looks others were giving Inoue, and pushed her body against his more tightly. If he let her out of his sight for just one minute, she could be dead the next minute.

"More or less," Ilforte shrugged and looked off into the sun rising. "You?"

"I slept just fine," the blue-haired pirate replied and looked down at the shorter woman at his side. "And how 'bout you, gypsy?"

She didn't look back at him. "It was ok."

"I let you sleep in my bed alone this time," Grimmjow said as if it was an afterthought. "But next time, let's share it, 'k?"

Inoue could only shiver and glare ahead of her. This only enticed the animalistic pirate.

"She isn't allowed on the deck is she," Ilforte's voice cut in like a razor sharp knife. Orihime jumped and Grimmjow blinked in confusion. That was a very unnatural tone for the blonde who was usually cocky and calm.

"Hm…I don't think so," he grinned more now, his hand shooting out and grabbing Inoue's chin, lifting her face to his. She gave a small, high-pitched sound and tried to wrench herself away from the male but he held on. "I don't think she's causing trouble though. Do you, Ilforte?"

Before he could comment harshly, a sound from above rang through-out the deck. Above, Tesla, Nnoitra's boy, called out in a sudden and ear-piercing cry.

"Land!" he shouted, his arms stretched out and his other hand cupping his mouth adding more distance to his voice. His sandy hair blew contrary to the sudden gust of salt-drenched wind as well as his white outfit that now clung to his thin body hurriedly. All around, the pirates were in motion. Tesla shouted directions and Ilforte steered viciously. The others were shouting at their crewmembers all around them, making their ways to the door leading down below to alert others not on the deck. Grimmjow, in contrast, was as still as a statue, his arm still latched around Orihime, who's head was snapped every which way as she watched the darting figures move across the deck in a frantic way.

She looked up at Grimmjow who's gaze turned to the horizon. As the sun finally emerged completely, it shined, in contrast, against the black dot up ahead.

333333333333333333

_**END **_


End file.
